Thai Fresh

Thai Fresh is our favorite spot for Thai food in Austin. A plate full of Pad Thai or a steaming bowl of Tom Kha soup at Thai Fresh makes for a pretty perfect meal. I like to finish it off with my favorite coconut-based Thai tea ice cream, a delightful dessert option.

With a bar offering locally roasted coffee and local taps, Thai Fresh is a great spot to work or play. Start the morning with a strong Thai coffee and then finish the afternoon with an IPA. Now that’s a good day’s work!

Thai Fresh sources from local farms as much as possible. It shows in the freshness of the food. Partnering with local farms is a standard of any sustainably-conscious restaurant. Thai Fresh pulls this off brilliantly with mindful recipes developed to include flavors that can be found right here in Texas rather than imported from far off places.

Why it matters: Living Wages.

Recently Thai Fresh joined a growing movement of restaurateurs that have done away with tipping and adjusted menu pricing to cover the cost of paying employees better wages. Full-time workers that make below $11.83 per hour live in poverty, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. In a place like Austin Texas, where the cost of living is higher, it is exceptionally hard for service industry employees to survive much less thrive. Thai Fresh made the decision to pay a fair wage — to care about their service team. I don’t mind paying more for Pad Thai or Tom Kha when I know that the men and women working hard to make it are earning more than $2.15 per hour. Local sourcing, woman-owned and minority-owned are great reasons to give Thai Fresh your business. Bucking the system and pledging to treat staff better — That is why Thai Fresh matters. It is why they deserve your time and your money. Your taste buds and your conscience will thank you!