The King and I Cuisine of Thailand
1455 E. Henrietta Rd.
Thai food is new for me. Ask me how or why it’s taken me so long to give it a shot, I couldn’t tell you, but it was about time. And of all the spots in town, there was one that was recommended most often for my initial venture into the vibrant cuisine—The King and I.
This Rochester staple has been around for nearly forty years, but I try my best to go into restaurants blind. I figured the food would be a tad spicy, but other than that, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I left with these impressions: authentic, aromatic, jam-packed with flavor, and as comforting as a home-cooked meal.
Owner Anthony Lu took over the business six years ago. “I worked for the original owners for thirty years, and they wanted to close the restaurant down when they retired,” Lu says. “I thought I’d keep it alive. The customers would be disappointed if it shut down.”
Lu currently has more than 350 recipes on the menu—some are his creations, some are family tradition, and others were created by the head chef—but nearly all of them are authentic Thai. Flavors of coconut, curry, and basil are prominent, and the ingredients are fresh, with many imported directly from Thailand. Lu dials back certain aspects of the dishes in an effort to Americanize them just a smidge, but customers can always ask to have the cuisine served 100 percent authentically. “Thai cuisine is heavier in flavor, so we hold back about ten percent of the recipe so it’s not too spicy. Coconut brings a lot of the spice, so that’s what we normally scale back,” Lu says. The fat and oils in coconut milk act as a flavor carrier for the spices in a dish.
I wanted to try two dishes, and Lu knew exactly which ones to bring out. Both are customer favorites but with very different flavors. First up was curry coconut with Thai sesame chicken. The restaurant sells about 150 plates of it a day. It’s sesame chicken layered on mixed vegetables, but the sauce is everything—it has a very thick and creamy coconut base with a semi-spicy kick.
If you’re not a huge coconut fan, don’t be scared—it’s honestly not overwhelming and blends together nicely with the chicken. It’s zippy, and the creaminess of it coats the platter in a way that keeps you waiting for the next bite—I’d compare the sauce to the density of a thick, homemade tomato soup. When texture meets taste, you know the chef did something right. It’s super enjoyable, and you don’t need a side with it—it’s perfect on its own. I’d recommend splitting this dish with a friend; the thickness of it made it very filling, and I think half the amount along with half of a different plate would make the perfect meal.
The second dish, however, has my heart. Chicken cashew has a curry basil flavor that left me feeling soothed. Lu notes that they don’t scale back the spice on this dish as much since it doesn’t have coconut in it, but the zip was still spot on.
Hints of cashew were what did it for me. It created a nutty contrast with the red curry and basil that was unmatched. While the flavor popped, the sauce wasn’t thick—it coated the chicken and vegetables more like a dense broth, really allowing everything to soak in the different notes.
This dish came with a side of rice as well, and it was the perfect mix. It gave the base a little more substance and helped absorb more flavor into each bite.
The menu has endless options for chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, duck, squid, and fish. There are combo platters, soups, salads, noodles, rice, and appetizers galore. I was also highly impressed with the vegetarian menu, which consisted of an entire page of flavor combinations.
Going back and forth between the chicken cashew and sesame chicken, I was continuously surprised by the differences—similar ingredients, opposite tastes. Trying each one created a genuinely intriguing experience. Again, this is where I’d recommend bringing a friend and ordering a few options to share. If the other 300-plus recipes on the menu match up to either of the two I tried, and I’m sure they do, you’re in for a treat.
The King and I Cuisine of Thailand is located at 1455 East Henrietta Road. More information can be found online at thekingandithaicuisine.com.
The King and I Cuisine of Thailand
1455 E. Henrietta Rd.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2026 issue of (585).
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