Award-winning bartender Jeret Pena says his new restaurant and tiki spot, Hello Paradise, was built with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in mind—and safety for guests and staff remains a top priority still today. “Everything from the spacing of tables, how you order, how you are served and the environment are just a few (reasons) for what makes it special,” he says.
A bright blue neon sign with the message, “Better Times Ahead” welcomes guests to the new Thai-inspired restaurant and bar on Grayson Street, which boasts a spacious outdoor seating area.
Pena’s in-laws, talented home chefs from Thailand, inspired the menu. “The food is in its own category because it isn’t Americanized Thai food. My in-laws and wife wanted to make it as authentic as possible,” he says.
Among those family recipes, the tom yum noodles and Thai wings have already become crowd favorites. Despite what diners might think based on the name, Pena says the noodles are nothing like tom yum soup. “The noodles are tangy with an absence of galangal and other ingredients associated with the soup,” he says. “It’s sweet, tangy and savory all in one bowl.”
The Thai wings, in particular, were a specialty of Pena’s grandmother-in-law. “It is a very traditional recipe that my grandmother-in-law would serve in Thonburi in Bangkok,” he says. “The wings are marinated for hours and dropped in a wet batter. The tangy dipping sauce is the perfect accompaniment to the crispy wing.”
Naturally, with Pena’s cocktail pedigree—which includes starting several bars and a James Beard nomination during his time helming the beverage program at The Esquire—the bar menu is as well-executed as the food.
Tropical drinks, like their best-selling painkiller made with a blend of three rums, serve as a complement to the Thai dishes, says Hello Paradise operating partner Stephan Mendez.
“Most Thai food has a nice spice to it,” he says, “and a well-balanced tropical cocktail really helps to take that cool off without letting either one (spice or cocktail) overpower the other.”
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Hello Paradise Promises Better Times Ahead with Thai Bites and Tropical Cocktails - San Antonio Magazine
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