On Sawtelle Boulevard, where Los Angeles’ appetite for regional Asian cooking runs deep, a familiar name turns the page. On Wednesday, January 21, Emporium Thai Market opens its doors, marking the next chapter for the Sungkamee family and their decades-long relationship with Thai cuisine in the city.
Founded by John Sungkamee and Jane Sungkamee, Emporium Thai Market builds on the legacy of Emporium Thai in Westwood, a restaurant that has anchored Southern Thai cooking in Los Angeles since 2000. The new concept stays rooted in heritage while shifting the format—more expansive, more design-forward, and fully centered on dining and drinking as a single experience.
Designed by TOLO Architecture’s Peter Tolkin and Sarah Lorenzen, the space introduces soaring ceilings, a linear skylight, warm wood and brass finishes, and a large-scale elephant mural inspired by Thai visual culture. A central bar anchors the room, while a street-facing patio opens the restaurant to the steady rhythm of Sawtelle Boulevard.
The kitchen is led by a family team that spans generations. Jane Sungkamee serves as Corporate Chef, shaping menus informed by Bangkok-born technique and Southern Thai, Thai Chinese, Indonesian, and Malaysian traditions. Gina Sungkamee, a graduate of Saowabha Culinary University in Bangkok, oversees execution across both restaurants with a focus on regional accuracy. Chef de Cuisine Chris Sungkamee brings a next-generation sensibility, refining family recipes with a technique-driven approach.
The menu highlights Southern Thailand’s defining balance—heat, acidity, aromatics, and depth—through dishes built for sharing and discovery. Standouts include seafood hor mok served as individual custard-style bites in coconut curry, jane’s wings and the long-running phuket wings, kra duk moo tod, tom saap pork rib soup, khao soi, choo chee salmon, and a bangkok jay fai–style thai crab omelette. Southern Thai specialties drawn from John Sungkamee’s hometown anchor the spicier end of the menu, including kua kling gai sab, gaeng som with catfish, pad sa taw goong, and a three-generation southern thai crab curry recipe. Desserts range from sweet roti to mango sticky rice.
The beverage program, led by Honeybee Sungkamee, treats the bar as an extension of the kitchen. Cocktails incorporate Thai herbs and aromatics—galanga, lemongrass, turmeric, basil, mint—across drinks like the galanga sunrise, lemongrass lavender margarita, coconut espresso martini, and dragon fruit martini. The bar also features natural wines, an eight-tap draft lineup, and zero-proof options.
Emporium Thai Market arrives with intention—family-led, regionally specific, and fully engaged with Los Angeles’ evolving dining conversation.
For More Information Visit emporiumthaimarket.com
Emporium Thai Market
Address: Sawtelle Boulevard, Los Angeles
Phone:Â 310.295.6559
Hours: Tuesday–Thursday: 4 –11 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 4 p.m.-12 a.m.
Sunday: 4-11 p.m.
Photo credits: Photos courtesy of Cerritos Towne Center
