An internationally acclaimed chef is set to debut an exciting new restaurant in San Francisco’s SoMa district. Saam is the newest restaurant from chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn of Thailand, debuting on Friday, July 24. It’s a notable opening, as it’s
Tassanakajohn’s first venture in the United States after 18 years of cooking in Thailand. He’s a second-career chef, first earning a degree in economics from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok before shifting his sights toward becoming a chef.
He eventually graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in New York and earned an MBA in hospitality from Johnson & Wales University. While in New York, he worked at Eleven Madison Park, the Modern, and Jean-Georges, and he also eventually earned his Certified Sommelier certification from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2013. His restaurants in Bangkok went on to great acclaim: Le Du earned a Michelin star and earned the No. 1 slot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as well as No. 15 in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2023 for its “contemporary tasting menu” highlighting Thai cuisine (it is currently ranked at No. 35 on the World’s 50 Best as of 2026). Nusara has nearly as much acclaim, with a Michelin star and a No. 35 ranking on World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2025, and No. 5 on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2026.
This is all to say, he’s highly regarded, with 13 restaurants under his belt. That’s not even mentioning his celebrity chef status in Thailand, thanks to his role as a judge on Top Chef: Thailand.
But Tassanakajohn isn’t opening his San Francisco restaurant alone. Saam translates to “three,” referencing the three partners behind the restaurant. Tassanakajohn has locally partnered with Tee Atthapon and Ty Choosuwan to run the restaurant. Atthapon is the owner and chef at new Thai restaurant Song Wat in San Francisco and Kan Kiin in Daly City. At Saam he takes on the role of general manager. Choosuwan serves as chef de cuisine under Tassanakajohn (who is executive chef); Choosuwan previously worked at Prospect and Boulevard, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
But the “three” in Saam has another meaning. Saam also refers to the three flavors at the heart of Thai cuisine: spicy, sour, and salty. The team shares that they’re looking to focus on “the lost recipes of Thai food” and dishes that are rarely seen, even in Thailand. They’re taking older, traditional recipes — some dating back a hundred years, they say — and translating them for modern diners, using new techniques and local ingredients, with many things made from scratch. (No canned curry paste here.) They’re hoping to take the Bay Area beyond the familiar pad Thai and green curry served at Thai restaurants across the United States. Seafood will play a major role on the menu, and the approach will be more casual than, say, Tassanakajohn’s Le Du.
Large-format dishes include tiger prawn cooked with shrimp paste and fava beans; khao mun gaeng pla yang, a sea bass with “Southern-style” turmeric rice; and pla phao, a salt-crusted branzino served with pla ra sauce and a peanut seafood sauce. Curries also take center stage, with three different options: pad ped ped, a duck-based curry; gaeng kua clams made with Manila clams; and gaeng kaaw, a vegetarian white curry with cauliflower and mushrooms. Lighter bites include the refreshing-sounding som tum peaches, starring, yes, peaches, with marinated shrimp, cherry tomato, and fermented fish sauce.
As for drinks, the restaurant will have wine, but more intriguingly, they’re making room for sato, an ancient Thai sticky rice wine with Lao roots, which they’ll import from Thailand. It’s been gaining popularity in the United States; Village Ghost is the first sato brewery based in the U.S., and places like Sappe in New York are integrating the alcohol into their cocktails. Saam will also carry Thai beers, per the Chronicle, and eventually fold in a cocktail program, too.
The restaurant has been in the works since January 2026, but according to Atthapon, Tassanakajohn has been plotting a new restaurant for the United States for at least three years. The hope was to bring Thai cuisine to a broader audience, and he was lured to San Francisco for its quality ingredients and diverse culture. Paired with his friendship with Atthapon, and Atthapon and Choosuwan’s decade-long roots in the local restaurant industry, it felt like the right place, the team says.
The launch of dinner is just the start for the new restaurant. In the following weeks, the team will roll out a lunch menu, and there is the possibility of a tasting menu down the line.
Saam (415 Brannan Street, San Francisco) debuts on Friday, July 24. Reservations are available via Resy.
