Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom’s regional Thai tasting hides behind Phuket Cafe and books on Tock the 15th at noon. Reserve a month ahead.
The Reservation Problem at Langbaan
Langbaan is one room, two seatings, five nights a week, hidden behind a cocktail bar inside Phuket Cafe on Northwest 23rd Place. Most people walk past the door. That scarcity, plus a 2024 James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, is what turns the table into one of the hardest tickets in the city.
Langbaan serves a fixed regional Thai tasting from Akkapong “Earl” Ninsom, the restaurateur behind Phuket Cafe and PaaDee, built around a different region of Thailand each season. It is ambitious, specific cooking that you book weeks in advance, not a place you drop into.
How to Book Langbaan
Langbaan books through Tock, not OpenTable or the phone, and takes prepayment when you reserve. The booking window is the key fact: the entire following month is released at once, at noon Pacific on the 15th. Miss it and you are left chasing cancellations.
Service runs two seatings a night. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday are at 5:00pm and 7:45pm; Friday and Saturday at 5:30pm and 8:15pm; the room is dark Monday and Tuesday. Weeknight seatings clear slower than weekends, so target a Wednesday or Sunday if the 15th drop catches you late. Note dietary needs in the Tock reservation.
What You Eat
There is one menu: a multi-course regional Thai tasting at $145, with an optional wine pairing at $75 and a non-alcoholic pairing at $45. The kitchen changes the theme by season and by region, so the dishes rotate, but the format holds. Expect bold, layered Thai cooking pitched well beyond the usual curry-house register.
For a lighter, cheaper night in the same orbit, Phuket Cafe out front and Ninsom’s Nong’s Khao Man Gai elsewhere in town are the a la carte fallbacks when the tasting is sold out.
The Smart Play
Treat the 15th like a ticket on-sale: be logged into Tock a few minutes early, know your party size and dates, and book the first slot you can rather than holding out for a perfect Saturday. Add the wine pairing if the budget allows. When Langbaan is dark or sold out, the Portland dining guide and the hardest Portland reservations guide cover the rest.
Not for a spontaneous or walk-in night. Langbaan releases a single monthly window on the 15th, prepays through Tock, serves only Wednesday to Sunday, and hides behind Phuket Cafe, so turning up on spec almost never works.
View Langbaan on Restaurants for Kings →
Related Reading
- Our full profile: Langbaan in Portland.
- The wider city: Portland dining guide and the hardest restaurant reservations in Portland.
- Strategy: the impossible-reservation playbook.
- Tasting-menu siblings: how to book Castagna and nearby Kann.
- More Portland tables: Nodoguro and Nong’s Khao Man Gai.
- Occasions: solo dining and a first date.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to book Langbaan?
Hard, because Langbaan is a small tasting-menu room hidden behind Phuket Cafe with two seatings on only a few nights a week. Tables release on Tock at noon on the 15th for the entire following month, and prime Friday and Saturday slots can clear within minutes. Set a reminder, log in early, and have a backup date ready.
How far in advance should I book Langbaan?
Up to about six weeks. The whole next month opens at once at noon on the 15th, so the practical move is to book the moment the window drops rather than wait. Weeknight seatings on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday are easier than Friday and Saturday. If your date is sold out, watch Tock for cancellations in the days beforehand.
How much does Langbaan cost?
The tasting menu is $145 per person before drinks, with an optional wine pairing at $75 and a non-alcoholic pairing at $45. Plan on roughly $230 to $260 a head once you add a pairing, tax and tip. It is a fixed regional Thai menu that changes seasonally, so the price covers the full progression.
What are Langbaan's hours and seatings?
Langbaan runs two seatings a night on five nights, and is dark Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday seatings are at 5:00pm and 7:45pm; Friday and Saturday seatings are at 5:30pm and 8:15pm. The early seating tends to open up slightly more often than the later one when you are chasing a cancellation.
Is Langbaan moving?
Langbaan currently operates at 1818 NW 23rd Place, tucked behind Phuket Cafe, and owner Akkapong Ninsom has said the team plans to leave that space for a standalone east-side location, with an opening targeted for later in 2026. Until that move happens, the Tock booking and the address above remain the way in, so confirm the location when you reserve.