Our founder, Chiaophong, came from Hainan; the back of our menu tells how he cooked at Bangkok's Parusakawan Palace in the reign of King Rama VI, then opened the Chiokee hotel in Ubon around 1922.
In 1942 the family moved to Si Sa Ket and opened a second CHIO KEE behind the station, on what is now the Mae Si roundabout. Friends and relatives kept it going after he returned to Ubon, rebuilt it as a three-storey shophouse in 1984 and later gave it a fresh look.
In Hainanese, chio means outstanding, taken from his name, and kee means a lasting impression.
The smell that drifts across the roundabout each morning: two eggs sizzling in a tiny iron pan under minced pork and diced Chinese sausage, with bread, coffee and fresh orange juice alongside.
Delicious breakfast food and coffees, we tried the breakfast set and soft egg with pork over white rice. I really liked the Thai coffee. Staff was friendly and we were able to speak with a waitress that understood English because my Thai speaking skills are not good. Very nice place, atmosphere is beautiful. I would certainly recommend coming here!
After breakfast there is more of Si Sa Ket to see: the railway station near us, the glass-bottle temple of Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew in Khun Han and the province's old Khmer sanctuaries. None of these four pictures shows our shop; all were taken elsewhere in Si Sa Ket.
สถานีรถไฟศรีสะเกษSi Sa Ket railway stationวัดป่ามหาเจดีย์แก้ว(วัดล้านขวด)อำเภอขุนหาญWat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew, the Million Bottle Temple, Khun Hanปราสาทสระกำแพงใหญ่อำเภออุทุมพรพิสัยPrasat Sa Kamphaeng Yai, Uthumphon Phisaiปราสาทบ้านปราสาทจังหวัดศรีสะเกษPrasat Ban Prasat, Si Sa Ket province
Look for the three-storey corner building with brown slats and a gold sign on the Mae Si roundabout, behind the Phra Nang Si Sa Ket monument; from Si Sa Ket station head straight to the roundabout.
Open every day from before sunrise into the early afternoon; no evening service, and a slightly later start at weekends.
Air-conditioned room plus outdoor tables, high chairs and table bookings; park along the roundabout, which gets busy in the morning.
Eat in or take away; call 045 965 218.
Our province, Si Sa Ket, shares a frontier with Cambodia in southern Isan
There are just two genuine CHIO KEE shops: ours in Si Sa Ket and the original CHIO KEE in Ubon Ratchathani.
How many CHIO KEE shops are there? Only two genuine ones: ours on the Mae Si roundabout in Si Sa Ket and the original in Ubon Ratchathani.
ร้านเปิดกี่โมง
เปิดทุกวันตั้งแต่เช้ามืดวันเสาร์อาทิตย์เริ่มช้ากว่าเล็กน้อยและปิดช่วงบ่ายต้นเวลาละเอียดของแต่ละวันดูได้ในตารางด้านล่างซึ่งอ้างอิงจาก Google Maps
What are your hours? Daily from early morning, a little later at weekends, closing in the early afternoon; the hour-by-hour table further down matches what we show on Google Maps.
What is khai krata? A Chinese-Thai breakfast of eggs cooked in a small sizzling pan with minced pork and sausage, eaten with bread; ours comes as a set with coffee and orange juice.
Can I walk from the railway station? Yes, it is a short way: head to the Mae Si roundabout and find the gold-signed corner building behind the monument.