P Thai’s is the first place in Austin that specializes in khao man gai, and it’s the best version of the Southeast Asian poached chicken and rice dish in the city. The counter-service restaurant focuses on labor-intensive, regional Thai specialties, including the khao man gai that probably started cooking before your morning alarm went off (spare us the bragging, early risers). Over the course of a few hours, chicken gets prepped, poached, cooled, hung to dry, and whispered words of affirmation to bring about the most tender meat possible. The restaurant shares a chef with Thai Kun, a fancy sit-down spot with cocktails and servers, but it’s a much simpler operation. If the name sounds familiar, that’s because P Thai’s briefly operated as a tiny stand in the back of Hong Kong Supermarket for the second half of 2023. But the brick-and-mortar in North Loop is bigger and better, with a dedicated dining room full of colorful chairs and tables. Poultry anchors the menu—in both poached and fried form—but you’ll also find crispy pork belly, a few fiery bowls of Thai noodle soup, and an incredibly refreshing pig tongue salad. Order all of it—or at least as much as you can—and take the leftovers home to finish on the couch, letting the thought of happy little chickens flapping over the moon soothe you to sleep. These are Thai street-food dishes that can’t be found anywhere else in Austin.