From left, owners of the Yada Thai restaurant in Fair Oaks area are Teelapon, Tami and Patchariya Sawangwan.

FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - Savor the authentic flavors of Yada Thai, a new family-owned restaurant which recently celebrated its soft July opening in the Fair Oaks Square Shopping Center.

Owners Tami Sawangwan, her father Teelapon and mom Patchariya, all of Sacramento serve up a very distinctive menu cooked from their own traditional family recipes offering a variety of flavorful entre choices, including barbecue, stir fry, curries and soups, many of which are not typically seen on a Thai restaurant menu.

Yada Thai at 8116 Madison Ave. replaces Silver Dragon, a popular Chinese restaurant which closed due to a fire in 2024. The interior is fully refreshed, and bright temporary exterior signage announces the new restaurant until permanent signage is installed, Tami Sawangwan said.

Yada Thai Cuisine is open for lunch and dinner on Tuesdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The restaurant is closed on Mondays to take care of the necessary preparation which its diverse menu of dishes requires, she said.

“Monday allows Mom and Dad to carefully prepare all of the fresh ingredients, vegetables, meats and sauces which are a part of our dishes,” she said.

Recent customer reviews convey a special dining experience and a passion for authentic Thai flavors which are present in each dish the family artfully prepares.

The kitchen mixes familiar plates such as barbecue, curries and fried rice with lesser-seen noodle soups and street-food snacks. Portion sizes are especially generous.

Tami Sawangwan and her family immigrated to Sacramento 16 years ago from Thailand. Owning restaurants has been a family tradition given Sawangwan’s grandmother owned multiple restaurants in the Bay Area, she said.

Behind the scenes, Tami Sawangwan’s father, Teelapon specializes in the menu’s barbecue and stir fry dishes while her mother Patchariya specializes in curry dishes using long-time family recipes, Tami Sawangwan said.

Up front, Tami Sawangwan offers helpful advice to each customer on how to build their own lunch or dinner to suit their preference – from appetizer to dessert - and to dial in just the right spice level which meets their preference.

Customers readily familiar with Thai cuisine are certain to spot their favorite among 11 different appetizer choices offered.

Openers include Moo Ping, marinated grilled pork skewers with spicy tamarind sauce and Tod Mun Pla, deep fried fish pancakes served with sweet chili cucumber sauce.

Veggie egg rolls and traditional Gai Satay, marinated chicken skewers served with cucumber salad and peanut sauce are a favorite choice, she said. Chicken curry puffs, puff pastries with chicken, potato and yellow curry filling served with a cucumber salad is a light choice.

Yada Thai also offers three different freshly made soups with choices of chicken, shrimp or seafood added by customer preference.

Lighter fare includes four different salad choices including a laab salad featuring a choice of ground chicken, pork, beef, tofu with lettuce, red onion and mint in chili lime fish sauce.

A hearty and refreshing Papaya salad – served Thai or Lao style, includes green papaya, tomatoes and Thai green beans with a peanut garnish.

Additional salad choices include Yum Nua (Thai beef salad) with sliced grilled steak with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion and mint in chili lime fish sauce.

Thai barbecue is a house specialty with Crying Tiger (Sua Rong Hai), a famous Isaan (northeastern Thai) dish featuring grilled, marinated beef sliced into thin strips and served with a fiery, tangy dipping sauce.

Customers can also choose from a grilled, marinated half-chicken served with sweet chili sauce and a portion of grilled marinated pork served with spicy tamarind sauce. Both dishes are served with sticky rice.

When a large bowl of hearty, hot Thai soup is a first choice, Yada Thai offers three with a choice of protein that might catch your eye on the menu.

Tom Kha, a traditional hot and sour coconut soup with mushroom, tomato, red onion, lemongrass, galanga and kaffir leaves is rich, creamy and tangy.

A fiery, clear Thai hot and sour seafood soup, known as Poh Taek features lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil and fresh chili.

My choice of red pumpkin curry with no extra spice offered plentiful portions of pumpkin, chicken, large prawns, artfully cut carrots, bell pepper and basil. Other popular familiar curries include red, green and Panang varieties.

Eight different stir fry main dish options are offered providing plenty of tantalizing dishes to share. These include spicy eggplant with bell pepper, white onion and basil in red chili paste and mixed vegetables served with broccoli, cabbage, carrots, baby corn and mushrooms in a white garlic sauce.

My guest and I also chose a main dish of my favorite Pad Thai noodles with generous portions of tofu and bean sprouts for my lunch. Yada Thai’s extensive noodle menu merits further exploration on a return dinner visit.

Customers choosing a specialty rice dish with their meal have the option of Thai Fried Rice with egg, white onion, green onion and tomato; pineapple fried rice with shrimp, chicken, egg, white onion, green onion, pineapple, cashew nut, carrot, raisin and peas; or crab fried rice – crab meat, egg, carrot and green onion. Smaller sides of white, brown and sticky rice are also available.

Do make room for dessert and treat yourself to one of three ice cream choices including, Thai tea, coconut or mango.

My guest and I found it difficult to choose from mango sticky rice served with choice of mango or coconut ice cream, or a fried banana – drizzled with honey and powdered sugar.

We each promised ourselves a dessert of Bua Loi, traditional chewy colorful dumplings with Ginkgo nuts and coconut meats in warm sweet coconut milk on our next visit.

Beverages include a choice of Thai teas, soft drinks and beer.

The restaurant offers take-out and delivery options. For more information, call 279-444-2722.