Thai Monkey Club

Some like it hot — and at Thai Monkey Club, you can get your Thai as hot as you want it. Which, if you order it "Thai hot," is almost as hot as you’d find in Thailand. And nearly everything else about the casual, comfortable Thai Monkey Club is exactly as you’d find it in that country, making it a go-to spot for authentic fare — and an atmosphere that includes plastic plates, a bright color scheme and Star Trek reruns playing loudly on the TVs in the dining room. What you won’t find, though, is an overdose of sugar. “I don’t think Americans like sweet food. Maybe dessert, but not food,” says Sirishom Hakamjarn, who worked at several Thai restaurants in Denver before opening the first Thai Monkey Club in 2011, where she could cook food the way she thinks it “should taste like.” And how it tastes is full of flavor; without as much sugar, ingredients like tamarind, lime, lemongrass and, of course, chiles all have a chance to shine. The can’t-miss dish: green curry.