Marnee Thai restaurant was only 5 years old when I first stepped into their simple, small and quaint Irving Street location in 1990. Back then a majority of Southeast Asian eateries were in the Inner Sunset and Richmond districts of San Francisco. 15 years later, increasing competition has spread to the Mission, Tenderloin and Polk Gulch, but old school Marnee Thai continues to make savory, fresh and affordable Thai dishes. Chef Chai Siriyarn opened the Irving street restaurant in 1986. It’s won 16 local, national and international awards and about a dozen rave reviews including Zagat’s Top Ten Thai Restaurants for 15 years. He opened a second restaurant on 9 th Avenue a couple of years later. Their signature Spic y Angel Wings was the first dish to pop in my mind the minute I walked in the door. My friend Mags hadn’t been to Marnee Thai in about 10 years and said that’s the only dish that stood out from the pack. From Oakland and Redwood City to San Jose, I have yet to fin...
Formerly Stuff in SF Native's Head