Tong Yin: Thai Cooking Rooted in Memory Gets Recognition
Naples has no shortage of places to order pad Thai. Tong Yin is where I’d send someone looking to experience the regional traditions behind Thai cooking.
Opened in 2024 on Ninth Street South, Tong Yin is the flagship restaurant of partners June Dispongsa and chef Somi Vasitorn. Named after June’s grandmother, the restaurant draws on the recipes and techniques both women learned growing up in neighboring regions of Thailand before later refining their skills under Japanese chefs in the United States. Today, they also operate Ichi Togarashi, Sendo de Café, and Mimoto, each exploring a different corner of Asian cuisine while sharing the same commitment to craftsmanship.
The menu focuses on regional Thai cooking prepared with traditional techniques. Curry pastes are made by hand with a mortar and pestle, while dishes like Thai crab curry with noodles (khao soi) showcase the depth that comes from those methods. It’s also one of the restaurant’s most celebrated dishes. If you’re ordering for the table, start with the miang kham, a one-bite wrap assembled with betel leaves using roasted coconut, lime, ginger, shallots, peanuts, dried shrimp, and palm sugar sauce.
Beyond those signatures, you’ll find drunken noodles with mussels, green papaya salad, crab kanom jeen nam ya, larb, and a bright, herb-forward tom yum soup. The spicy shrimp and crab fried rice has become another must-order menu item, while the short rib pad Thai stays true to traditional flavors, relying on tamarind, fish sauce, and dried shrimp rather than excess sweetness.
The intimate dining room, finished in rich reds and golds, reflects the warmth of the food and its inspiration. Reservations are recommended, particularly on weekends.
Tong Yin was one of two Naples restaurants recognized when the Michelin Guide expanded into Southwest Florida, an acknowledgment that reflects its commitment to precision and technique that does not take any shortcuts.
Tong Yin
75 9th St. S., Naples • Tue.–Thu. noon–2:30 p.m. & 5–9 p.m.; Fri.–Sat. noon–2:30 p.m. & 5–9:30 p.m. •
tongyinnaples.com
Originally published in
The Naples Florida Review.
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