03-06-2025
Shrimp Doughnuts and Everything Bagel-Crusted Spring Rolls? At This Thai Restaurant, It's a Yes.
When Jeanine and Kate Royce, partners in business and life, first signed the lease on this space at 238 W. 56th Street and Eighth Avenue, on the border of Hell's Kitchen and Midtown West, they didn't exactly know what they would do with it — other than serve Thai food.
The couple had already owned and operated a Thai place up in East Harlem; they are connected to the city's Thai community; they had a name all set, BKK New York (the airport code for Bangkok); and they quickly signed on an experienced Thai chef for the project, Teerawong 'Yo' Nanthavatsiri, previously owned the (now-closed) restaurant Pinto in the West Village for a decade.
It wasn't until Yo clocked all the food carts in Midtown that the final concept for the menu clicked into place. Basically: Spin a bumping NYC remix to the Bangkok street food favorites of his youth. It's the latest entry in a wider trend of New Yorkified Thai food that's emerged over the past couple of years, beginning with Little Grenjai's smash burger in 2023, followed by a Thai burger stand from Zaab Zaab, and the pop-up Tawan last year.
The design and welcoming spirit of BKK New York amplify the street party vibe, with private dining partitions that evoke corrugated steel panels of Bangkok's dining shacks. The facade opens to bar chatter while uptempo pop spills onto the street.
For seventy years, this address was home to Fuji Sushi, an office-worker staple that was one of the very first sushi restaurants in the city. But with all the huge new residential towers on the block, BKK New York seems poised to become a neighborhood go-to for locals as well.
The prices are doable (for 2025), the menu is filled with big-flavored crowd-pleasers, and the lively atmosphere feels right for just about any occasion. So go! And when you do, here's what you should get.
There are a bunch of familiar, traditionally prepared Thai dishes on the menu (including, yes, a shrimp pad Thai for $26, and a chicken pad see ew for $22), but most of the fun at BKK New York happens in the remixes. My favorite thing I've eaten here is the brisket sandwich dip ($26), a beefy beast with melted American cheese, spicy Thai mayo, and a rich broth for dunking. Jeanine told Eater that it was 'inspired by nam tok, a Thai soup my wife Kate loves.' If I lived in that luxury high-rise across the street (lol), I'd pop by all the time for one of these beauties.
Another satisfying solo dining option, perhaps while perched at the bar knocking back an $18 pandan paradise rum cocktail, is Yo's BKK hot dog (also $18), a fat, porky Chiang Mai sausage served on a brioche bun with both pickled vegetables and two kinds of fries —those green chive-y one are excellent — on the side.
Or maybe go the more traditional Thai route for your solo adventure? The difficult-to-share mama tom yum ($28) is a big soupy bowl of instant noodles absolutely loaded with charred shrimp, slabs of sweet, crispy pork, meaty mushrooms, and a raw egg thrown in for luck, all swimming in a fiery orange broth. Chef Yo told us that this dish is everywhere in Bangkok — and it's delicious. Dinner for two
Split the above sandwiches, and tack on a trio of Yo's terrific 'doughnuts' ($18), made from a blend of shrimp, chicken, and pork, densely packed and pressed into a doughnut shape, fried until the exterior gets a nice crunch, sprinkled with salted egg yolk, and served with a tangy dipping sauce. The oversized fried chicken skin chips ($12) are good, too.
If sandwiches seem too casual for whatever you've got going on that night, the wagyu kra pow ($32) feels both fancy and fun, a jumbo beef patty plopped atop a mound of sticky jasmine rice, plenty of Thai basil, garlic, and chiles bringing some pep to the party, the whole thing served in a hot stone bowl and mixed tableside. The goong koe rae ($32), a half dozen shrimp drowning in a sweet and spicy red curry sauce, also adds a sense of occasion to your meal.
Dinner for three, four, or more
BKK New York's unique spring rolls, which come wrapped in an 'everything bagel crust' ($12), make for an enjoyable addition to the meal for larger parties. And though the pork-two-ways kao moo deng moo krob skewed too sweet for my tastes, Yo is a big fan of the dish. 'Every single Thai person that eats here says this is the best version they've ever had,' he said. 'It tastes like home, and not many places serve it.'
Either dessert — mango sticky rice, or coconut ice cream — will make you happy. So do what we did and just get both.
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