When Sabai Jai Thai reached out to Live in Everett to invite us to come try their food, I was a little surprised to hear about another Thai restaurant opening so close to the others on Hewitt. Looking them up on Google Maps, I realized they took over the Sanae Thai space. The interior got a lovely makeover, and the restaurant's concept is completely new, too.

Co-owner Tippawan Wongkaew’s "light bulb moment" came when taking an order at one of her other restaurants. At a table for two, the first customer ordered, but the second, who was vegan, had a hard time with the menu. Nothing on the menu was vegan, including the vegetable-based dishes. Almost all curries in Thai restaurants include shrimp paste, Wongkaew explained. So to accommodate the vegan customer, something had to be made from scratch, which is less ideal because good layers of flavor take time to develop.

Wongkaew decided her next restaurant would be a place where all diners can eat together, and the way to do that would be for nearly every dish to be vegan, with the option to add meat. All fried dishes are vegetarian, so the fryer is never used for meat. But meat-eaters needn't worry; we tried several proteins and they were all cooked perfectly.

From the appetizer menu, we had a fairly standard fresh garden wrap and the amazing Nam Kao Tod. It's a hearty bowl of crunchy fried rice and peanuts with onions and ginger, and a strong, bright lime dressing. We'd never had anything quite like it and are looking forward to the next time we can have this "dinner granola."

Khao Soi was on special and we ordered it with chicken. Its rich coconut broth and crispy noodles on top were perfect, but if you decide to share it, ask for a knife to cut the very long noodles first before portioning it out. The pineapple fried rice with shrimp was packed full of tasty vegetables with a surprising smoky grilled flavor you wouldn't expect from a dish cooked indoors.

Wongkaew insisted we couldn't leave without trying the avocado green curry, one of their signature dishes. After all, there were two other tables (not bad for 5pm during a soft opening!) and they both ordered it. We opted for tofu, which was firm and soaked up the curry perfectly. It comes with a nice mix of brown rice and quinoa on the side, and is packed with perfect avocado slices, eggplant, bell peppers, and lots of basil. 

Sabai Jai is an amazing new option for vegans and vegetarians in Everett, but the meat options don't taste like an afterthought. It's an easy, friendly, and delicious Thai destination for everyone.

SABAI JAI
1707 HEWITT AVE.
EVERETT, WA 98201
(425) 512-8762

Christopher Bragg works from home in Everett and loves walking, swimming, and cats. You can find him all over town, but only if you keep weird hours and avoid crowds like he does.