East Orlando has quietly become one of the best places in Central Florida to eat Thai food, and Lert Thai Street Food — tucked into a compact space near UCF on Collegiate Way — is among the brightest examples of that shift. The restaurant is run by owners Timmy Peengoen and chef Anna Nilkooha, who both honed their skills at Isan Zaap, a Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient, before striking out on their own.
The menu leans into classic Thai street food with careful technique throughout. Starters like spring rolls with paper-thin wrappers ($8.95) and grilled pork skewers with sticky rice ($16.95) set an attentive tone, while the crispy rice salad with fermented Thai sausage ($16.95) and Lao-style papaya salad with salted crab ($16.95) show the kitchen's comfort with both texture and bold flavor.
Among the larger dishes, the khao soi — crispy chicken and egg noodles in coconut curry ($18.95) — earns praise for its balanced, harmonious character, and a green curry loaded with squid, shrimp and mussels ($21.95) is described as silky and aromatic. Chinese broccoli with pork belly ($19.95) draws on broader Southeast Asian influences, arriving with fish, oyster and soy sauces coating crisp-edged pork and vibrant greens.
The pad krapow with minced pork ($18.95) — chef Nilkooha's rendition of the beloved Thai basil stir-fry, topped with a runny fried egg — is singled out as a standout, described as among the finest versions the reviewer has encountered. A shrimp pad Thai ($18.95), lacquered with fish sauce, tamarind and caramelized palm sugar, rounds out a menu that manages to honor tradition while delivering something distinctly its own.
Lert Thai Street Food is located at 12094 Collegiate Way and can be reached at 407-340-7102. This review originally appeared in Orlando Weekly.
