A new Thai street food restaurant is open at 34 Park Street, Suite 8, in Essex Junction, the former home of Nagueños Filipino American Diner. Pick Thai started serving lunch and dinner on March 8.
It’s the first restaurant for owner Chalermsak Chanachai, who goes by Tony. The chef has more than 15 years of experience, having worked through the ranks at his family’s restaurant in Mississippi and restaurants in Burlington and Lebanon, N.H.
Chanachai’s menu features dishes from his native Isan region of northeastern Thailand — such as kor moo yang, a grilled pork shoulder served with a spicy dipping sauce — as well as classic Thai curries, fried rice, stir fries, and noodle dishes such as pad Thai and drunken noodles. Customers can request dishes be made with “no spice,” Chanachai’s wife, Kasira Silpanithikul, told Seven Days, “or they can level it up to medium, hot or Thai hot.”
Chanachai lived in Burlington in 2009, and the couple returned to Chittenden County at the end of January to open their business.
“He decided he wanted to open this small restaurant himself,” said Silpanithikul, who goes by Angie. “He knows that people here like to get Thai food a lot, and he has many dishes that he wants to offer to the people around here.”
Pick Thai serves its full menu for both lunch and dinner every day but Monday, with dine-in, takeout, delivery via DoorDash and lunch specials starting at $9.95 available.
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This article appears in May 14-20, 2025.
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