Thai Noodle Etc. is a stalwart of the Beaverton restaurant row at Cedar Hills, a homey space with a stacked menu offering every Thai dish imaginable. It’ll be easy to please a large group of diners thanks to the massive array of recognizable stir-fried noodles and curries, most of which are available with cheaper lunchtime pricing. However, those hunting for something special should opt for various boat noodles and ba mhees, hot-and-sour soups that come with thinly sliced meats, noodles, and colorful fresh garnishes that offer a contrasting crunch. The pumpkin curry is also a neighborhood staple.

Akkapong Earl Ninsom, arguably Portland’s most beloved Thai restaurateur, owns several of the restaurants on this map, and Phuket Cafe is yet another jewel in his crown. With his more recent restaurants, Ninsom has become more freewheeling in his approach to food, serving dishes like “Thai paella” with manila clams and flavors reminiscent of tom yum. Thinly sliced albacore, accompanied by peanut brittle crumble and mint, is the breakout hit on the menu, but any meal at Phuket Cafe must end with the restaurant’s elaborate shaved ice desserts.

Ninsom’s Phuket Cafe now houses the outstanding Thai supper club Langbaan, which previously hid in a back room behind a bookcase at his other restaurant, Paadee. Menus change frequently, pulling inspiration from historic menus and regions of Thailand. That being said, a few of its greatest hits remain on the menu year-round, including the miang som, dots of cara cara jewels and shrimp sitting on a betel leaf with fish sauce caramel, or the kanom krok, Hokkaido scallop swimming in a coconut cream sauce within a crispy rice cup. The full tasting menu is $125 per person, with reservations available via Resy.

This South Corbett Thai restaurant specializes in what’s known as “royal Thai cuisine,” including intricately folded dumplings and cracker cups filled with sauteed vegetables. Many dishes at Siam Umami are ones distinct to the restaurant — corn salads wrapped in a ring of thinly sliced cucumber, for instance. The highlights include violet-hued chor muang, dumplings stuffed with ground pork and peanuts, and the coconut-water-braised pork belly, paired with a swirl of coconut-whipped potatoes.

A quick stroll down Mississippi will reveal Mee Sen, a casual restaurant with plenty of patio space out front and a cozy wood-paneled interior. Here, meals start with char-grilled meats on skewers alongside tamarind-laced cocktails, followed by Thai salads like the glass noodle yum woon sen. The best move is to get one of the restaurant’s customizable soup options, which come with a choice of noodle and deeply exuberant and acidic broths.

One of Portland’s iconic chefs, owner Nong Poonsukwattana is a Bangkok native who arrived in America with $70 in her pocket and somehow still managed to open a food cart in 2009. The khao man gai is the thing to order, a deceptively simple dish of poached free-range Mary’s chicken, flavorful broth, aromatic jasmine rice, and its ginger-y sauce. Pros know to order their KMG with livers and crispy-fried skins, but going classic certainly doesn’t hurt. While the food cart has closed, there are now restaurant locations in downtown and inner Southeast, both with onsite seating, takeout, and delivery.

Inspired by traditional fried chicken from Southern Thailand, Ninsom’s truly unforgettable shallot-fried thighs and drumsticks are the things of local legend, thanks to a coating of rice flour, peppercorns, and fried shallots. Locals know to get the combo with the dippable curry and roti, though sleeper hits like the restaurant’s wicked-spicy Southern Thai ground pork are worthy add-ons. Both the Belmont and Killingsworth locations are open for onsite dining, delivery, and takeout.

This millennial pink Thai restaurant, serving blackberry margaritas and lychee martinis alongside bowls of pineapple fried rice and boat noodles, is far more than its aesthetics: The dishes here are dialed-in interpretations of Thai standards like saucy kana moo grob with hunks of pork belly, or guay tiew tom yum, a sour-savory noodle soup piled high with springy fish meatballs and ground pork. The restaurant’s khao soi may be one of the best in town, bolstered with chiles and aromatics.

As a kid growing up in Bangkok, Thai Peacock owner Chookiat “Ham” Saenguraiporn had nostalgic memories of the namesake dish at Khao Moo Dang. This simply adorned counter service spot combines thinly sliced five spice pork, crispy belly, boiled egg, rice, and Chinese sausage, topping them with a fragrant sauce. The result is savory and sweet, tender and crunchy, all while being satisfyingly comforting. The menu has since expanded to include a wide variety of stellar soups, from wonton tom yum to tom kha loaded with pork loin and belly.

Khun Pic’s is a silly, magical place, an ornate and faded converted house-turned-Thai restaurant with colorful characters and celebratory flavors. No, the restaurant doesn’t take cards, and it’s only open for about three hours for half the week; still, the restaurant’s lightly battered, deep fried catfish, delicate in a chile garlic sauce, is a lovely companion to a lively som tum.

This Richmond Thai restaurant has all of the classics covered, but it also features little twists like the photo-worthy tom yum made with blue butterfly pea flower noodles and salads featuring fried chicken chunks and sliced pork, as well as the pad kee mao, which can be made with yakisoba in lieu of the traditional wide rice noodles. The tender roasted duck over rice or egg noodles is a standout that nods to the Chinese culinary influence in Thai cooking.

Yet another Thai restaurant within Akkapong Earl Ninsom’s larger Thai culinary canon, Yaowarat celebrates the neighborhood for which it’s named — Bangkok’s Chinatown. Here, Thai and Chinese flavors overlap: A single table may support bowls of gently spiced mapo tofu and beef shank yellow curry; salted fish fried rice gets its dose of heat from a chile-laden prik nam pla. For dessert, the toasted buns, served with cups of pandan and Thai tea custards, are a must.

For anyone who loves the ability to get Thai and Lao takeout while also stocking their pantry with Asian goods, Gateway’s Lily Market is a must-try hybrid operation. Visit the deli counter near the Halsey Street entrance for a rotating selection of steam tray curries, stir-fries, and grilled Thai sausages. The deli’s funky Lao papaya salad, fresh salad rolls, or rice-based sweets are all must-orders.

This strip mall Thai restaurant is a neighborhood favorite for the classics: takeout dinners of saucy pad kee mao, extra-large salad rolls, bright papaya salad, and a handful of curries. For those seeking something a little different from the standards, the restaurant’s red duck curry, pairing smoked duck with pineapple, is a worthy diversion.