From the outside, the Patio Desserts & Drinks isn’t much to look at. Heck, there isn’t even a patio out there. But once inside, a new world awaits. The open space is serene, as botanical elements make it feel like you’ve entered a secret garden. As you sit down at a wooden table, you almost expect a friendly hummingbird to give you a peck on the cheek.
“We wanted to open a place for people to hang out and relax,” owner Bank Atcharawan says. “The atmosphere is very important to us.”
Atcharawan is known for having built the wine list at Lotus of Siam before creating the excellent Chada Thai and Chada Street restaurants, but he’s no longer involved with those. He has been focused on his young family and his new venture, the Patio.
Its specialty is Thai desserts—a variety of cakes, toasts, waffles and ice creams, all made in-house, along with a delightful beverage program.
Blue pea lemonade ($4.50) is a visual stunner. Buttery flower tea gets frozen to create dense, blue ice cubes. Pour the lemonade in the cup and you get a lovely blend of tastes and colors. That interaction of ingredients is also found in the Thai tea cake ($5.95), light and moist and featuring the flavor of its titular drink, reinforced with an accompanying Thai tea cream sauce.
For those on the trend watch, grab a Hong Kong waffle ($6.95) which almost looks like bubble wrap due to the eggy air pockets. It’s a unique treat with rising popularity. In the future, Atcharawan hopes to add a wine list, along with cheese and charcuterie. “After all, wine is my strongest field,” he reminds. Dessert isn’t far behind.
