Kati Vegan Thai: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Kati Vegan Thai makes one of Seattle’s best cases that plant-based eating doesn’t mean giving anything up. Every item on the menu is vegan, so you can order freely without reading ingredient lists or quizzing your server. You’ll find the Seattle restaurant in South Lake Union at 1190 Thomas St, on the corner of Thomas and Minor Avenue, a short walk from Cascade Park. Regulars have packed the place since 2017. The owners now run three restaurants, in Seattle, Kirkland, and Redmond, and this profile covers the Seattle location.

What’s vegan and vegetarian at Kati Vegan Thai

Everything on the menu. No dish contains meat, fish, dairy, or eggs. Traditional Thai cooks lean on fish sauce, oyster sauce, and shrimp paste, so a Thai restaurant that skips all three earns a spot on any vegetarian’s list. Kati’s cooks replace those flavors with house seasonings and plant-based sauces that keep the savory depth you’d expect from Thai food. Kati is the Thai word for coconut milk, and you’ll find coconut milk in many of the curries and soups.

Signature dishes to order

Reviewers keep naming the same dishes. Start with the Devil Wings, deep-fried oyster mushrooms dusted in house hot spice and served with sweet Thai chili sauce. Diners love the crisp outside and the meaty mushroom inside. Reviewers also single out the Cauliflower Bombs, the Pad Thai, and the Massaman Curry.

For something more adventurous, try the garlic fried jackfruit on sticky rice or the coastal curry with fried banana blossoms. Order the Khao Soi if you want a big, warm bowl of curried coconut noodle soup. For noodles, reviewers like the Pad See Ew and the Pad Kee Mao. Finish with mango sticky rice or coconut ice cream.

How to order and book

Kati takes reservations for groups of 6 or more through a form on its website, and the owners ask for at least 24 hours of notice. On busy evenings, walk-in diners can face a long wait. Groups of six should book ahead. You can eat in, take your food to go, or get delivery. Lunch is 11:30am to 3pm every day. Dinner starts at 4:30pm and runs to 9pm Monday through Thursday and to 9:30pm on Friday and Saturday. Sunday is different. We found no Sunday dinner hours for Seattle on Kati’s website, so plan on lunch that day or call ahead.

Rice may cost extra. Some diners report paying for rice separately with the curries and stir-fries, so if you’re building a meal around a curry, ask your server about rice when you order.

Before you go

Don’t come for a quick lunch. Servers work at a relaxed pace, and reviewers on Yelp, HappyCow, and The Infatuation all mention slow service, so you’re looking at a pattern rather than one bad night. Plan for a longer meal and you’ll enjoy your visit more.

Because the cooks use only plant-based ingredients, you don’t have to worry about meat or seafood cross-contamination. Some dishes are gluten-free, but the kitchen isn’t, so talk to your server if you have a serious allergy or intolerance. Fish sauce and shellfish never enter the picture.

Is Kati Vegan Thai worth the trip?

Yes, and for meat eaters too. In June 2026, Kati held a 4.4 on Google across more than 1,500 reviews, and the non-vegan reviewers we read kept saying they left happy. Expect Thai food that tastes like Thai food, with nothing watered down. Fully vegan Thai restaurants are rare in any big US city, and Kati now has three. If you’re visiting Seattle and want a reliable, creative plant-based meal at a sit-down table, head to Kati Vegan Thai in South Lake Union.