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Why did we dine here? – Saam is the newest restaurant from chef Thitid Tassanakajohn of Thailand, this is his first venture in the United States after 18 years of cooking in Thailand.
His restaurants in Bangkok are highly rated: Le Du earned a Michelin star and earned the No. 1 slot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Nusara has a Michelin star and No. 5 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2026. We recently went to Thailand, so we were interested in seeing how close this is to food we had there.
The restaurant is not very big and has nice decor with Thai-pop blaring. We dined here after it had been open for a week, so we expected glitches. Saam is doing better than we expected. 4.8 on Google, 4.7 on Yelp.
Insider Tip – Use Resy Notify to score a hard to get reservation
Cuisine – Thai
Location – San Francisco SoMa District
Opened – July 2026
Service – Saam had better service than expected for a 1 week old restaurant. The server was not equipped well for dietary restrictions.
Verdict – Saam serves up inventive Thai food in a nice environment. It is not a curry and pad thai spot like most Thai restaurants. Prices are not cheap but inline with highend spots like Nari and Kin Khao.
If the prices are outside your budget or you are looking for typical Thai dishes, you should eat at Khao Tiew instead. Just be prepared to wait.
The food in Thailand on our recent trip was better and half the price!
Saam currently qualifies for Resy Credit. Check to make sure!
This venue currently qualifies for the Resy Credit, a benefit for select American Express® Card Members
Is this restaurant worth a 5 minute drive? Yes. 30 minute? Maybe. 1 Hour? Maybe.
Saam Signature Dishes – Peaches, Pork Chop, Tiger Prawns.
Saam’s Menu is short and concise with small plates, large plates, and sides. You won’t find Pad thai here. Several option for vegetarians. Spice level are really American level, not the real thing. No modifications allowed.
Saam Food Picks:
Thai Iced Tea ($6) was tall and balanced. Definitely not from a can. 9/10
Lemongrass Lemon Honey ($8) was also a nice NA drink with good flavor. 9/10
Som Tum Peaches ($25) marinated shrimp, peach , cherry tomato, fermented fish sauce is rated with 3 chili peppers, but really not that spicy. A carefully assembled beautiful tweezer dish with a balance of spice and fruit. 8/10
Nuea Dad Deaw ($25) Thai-style dried Beeman Ranch Beef, E-Sam style sauce and siracha sauce was better than expected. Almost like a thick round beefy jerky with dipping sauce. 9/10
Milky Scallops ($35) was a special not on the menu. It consisted of thinly sliced scallops in a green spicy sauce topped with roe. It is more spicy than the 3 chili pepper peach dish. Beautiful, nice texture, not a lot of food. 8.5/10
Gaeng Kua Clams ($29) manila clam, curry paste, kaffir lime and basil is a nice sized dish to share. Definitely want to eat this with some rice. Not spicy and has medium flavor profile. 8.5/10
Om Pork Chop ($49) grilled Snake River farm pork chop, northern style Om sauce, coriander, and Szechuan pepper was one of the better dishes of the evening. Cooked perfectly and with a really nice Om sauce. Enough slices to share. 10/10
Tiger Prawn Kapi And Fava Beans ($68) Wild caught tiger prawn, shrimp paste, fava bean, chili, shallot and buttered garlic is expensive but looks great. Slightly overcooked prawn and undercooked garlic. Also enough pieces to share. 9/10
Khao Soi Haeng Seafood ($49) dry-style northern Thai curry egg Noodle, assorted seafood, shrimp paste, and cardamom is not the white creamy version many of us are used to. This rendition had lots calamari, shrimp, thin noodles in a thick sauce. I preferred the creamy version, especially the one we had in Chiang Mai. 8.5/10
Garlic Broccolini ($22) was cooked perfectly. Must get. 10/10
Sticky Rice ($5) hits the spot and helps with the spicy dishes. 9/10
Mango Sticky Rice Meringue ($25) takes the normal dessert and amps it up with a meringue topping. Nice looking, smooth flavors and textures, though expensive. 8.5/10
Do you agree with our review? Have you found other similar restaurants that are better?
Restaurant Map:Saam Overall Rating: 
(Very Good
Come Back? 
| Food Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Service Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Atmosphere Rating: | (Very Good) |
| Value Rating: | (Good) |
Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Below/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary
| Alcohol: | Beer, Wine |
| Attire: | Casual |
| Parking: | Street |
| Reservations: | Yes |
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