Pok Pok was a group of

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

restaurants based in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, founded and led by chef

Andy Ricker Andy Ricker (born 1963) is an American chef, restaurateur and cookery writer, known for his skill and expertise in northern Thai cuisine. Career Beginning his working life as a dishwasher in Vermont when he was a teenager, he accumulated culina ...

. Pok Pok won both local recognition and major industry awards, with ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'' describing the restaurant as "one of those quintessentially Portland institutions, a sort of rags-to-riches story of the street cart that became a restaurant that became a legend." The main restaurant was located on Southeast Division Street in Portland; with its success Ricker opened satellite locations elsewhere in Portland, and at various times in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. Its remaining locations closed in 2020, during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

History

The first Pok Pok opened in 2005, specializing in street food and northern Thai cuisine that Ricker had eaten on his travels, especially through

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai (, from th, เชียงใหม่ , nod, , เจียงใหม่ ), sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the second largest city in ...

. The restaurant grew in recognition, being named The Oregonian's 2007 Restaurant of the Year, and featured in a 2009 episode of

Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in California, licenses his name to restaurants in New York City, Las ...

's ''

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' (often nicknamed ''Triple D'' and stylized as ''Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives'') is an American food reality television series that premiered on April 23, 2007, on the Food Network. It is hosted by Guy Fieri. The show o ...

''. In 2011, he was named the

James Beard Foundation The James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based national non-profit culinary arts organization named in honor of James Beard, a prolific food writer, teacher, and cookbook author, who was also known as the "Dean of American Cookery." The prog ...

's 2011 "Best Chef: Northwest" for his work. At its closure in 2020, ''The Oregonian'' called Pok Pok "Portland’s defining restaurant for more than a decade." A Brooklyn location followed in 2012; the

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

awarded it a star in its 2015 and 2016 editions but rescinded it in the 2017 Guide. Ricker closed the restaurant on September 2, 2018, citing rising costs. Pok Pok Phat Thai and Pok Pok LA opened in the Chinatown neighborhood of

in December 2014 and November 2015 respectively, but Pok Pok Phat Thai closed in August 2016 and Pok Pok LA followed in March of the following year. In 2018, a Pok Pok Wing opened in

the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (commonly referred to simply as The Cosmopolitan or The Cosmo) is a resort casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The resort opened on December 15, 2010, and is located just south of the Bella ...

's Block 16 Urban Food Hall dining area. This closed in December 2020 following the expiration of its licensing agreement, the last of the Pok Pok restaurants.

COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, Pok Pok announced its indefinite closure of all locations due to the

, which has had an impact on the restaurant industry due to

social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious disea ...

mandates and guidelines. Initially, Pok Pok followed the example of many restaurants across the US in providing takeout and delivery services while dine-in remains prohibited. Following the coronavirus-caused death of New York chef,

Floyd Cardoz Floyd Cardoz (October 2, 1960 – March 25, 2020) was an Indian-born American chef. He was born in Mumbai. He owned the New York City eatery Paowalla and was executive chef at Tabla, as well as victor on ''Top Chef Masters'' Season 3 in 2011. Hi ...

, Pok Pok's Andy Ricker published a statement explaining Cardoz's death as the reason for the change in strategy. Ricker cited the tragedy as a “wake-up call to the restaurant industry” and himself. In mid June, Ricker confirmed the permanent closure of Pok Pok NW,

Whiskey Soda Lounge Whiskey Soda Lounge was a bar and Thai restaurant by Andy Ricker in Portland, Oregon's Richmond neighborhood, in the United States. Located across the street from Ricker's Pok Pok restaurant, the whiskey-centric bar closed in 2020, during the COVI ...

, and the northeast and southwest Pok Pok Wing locations, leaving just the main restaurant and possibly the southeast Pok Pok Wing location. Ricker announced closure of the original and remaining locations in October 2020. A remaining Pok Pok Wing in Las Vegas continued service through December.

References

External links

* {{Richmond, Portland, Oregon 2005 establishments in Oregon 2014 establishments in California 2015 establishments in California 2016 disestablishments in California 2018 disestablishments in New York (state) 2020 disestablishments in Oregon Asian restaurants in Los Angeles Asian-American culture in New York City Defunct Asian restaurants in Portland, Oregon Defunct Asian restaurants in the United States Defunct restaurants in Los Angeles Defunct restaurants in New York City Restaurants disestablished during the COVID-19 pandemic Restaurants disestablished in 2020 Restaurants established in 2005 Restaurants in Brooklyn Restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada Richmond, Portland, Oregon Thai restaurants in Portland, Oregon Thai restaurants in the United States Thai-American culture in California Thai-American culture in New York (state)

History

COVID-19 pandemic

See also

References

External links