Latest news with #ThaiDiner
Eater
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
The NYC Restaurant Openings You Should Know About This August
This is Eater's guide to all the new restaurants, bars, and cafes that have opened this week. Throughout August, we'll update the list weekly. When we've been to a place, we will then include an abbreviated number of openings on our heatmap to let you know the ones we like. If there's an opening in your neighborhood that we've missed, let us know at ny@ August 14 Nolita: The Thai Diner's next trick is Mommy Pai's, a new casual takeout window dedicated to chicken fingers, which opened on Friday, August 8. There are grilled or fried chicken fingers, with flavors like lemongrass or Muay Thai, with garlic, soy, fish sauce, and coriander, along with sauces like Heavenly BBQ (capturing the flavors of the Thai beef jerky known as heavenly beef), or the noom green sauce. There are also sides like a Thai take on Johnnycakes and fruity drinks. 203 Mott Street, at Kenmare Street Penn District: Serano's Italian opened on Tuesday, August 12, joining the growing dining district around the Javits Center, with house-made pastas like spinach ricotta ravioli, Sicilian-style square pizzas (developed with help from a Roberta's alum), panini, and tomato and burrata salads. Serano's, a sibling spot to nearby Friedman's, carves out lots of room for gluten-free diets on the menu. 132 West 31st Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues Sunnyside: A new scone-dedicated bakery, the Sconery, opened in Queens on Tuesday, August 12. Expect flavors like cinnamon and fruit ones. Owner and founder Sheila Connolly was previously baking her scones at farmers markets in the city and Westchester. 39-39 47th Avenue, between 39th Place and 40th Street Upper East Side: Meet Libbi, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant from the team behind Midtown East's kosher Italian spot Abaita, which opened on Monday, August 11. The brightly lit space with room for 50 starts with a marbled counter outfitted with delicate pastries. Chef and owner David Donagrand leads a polished sit-down menu full of pesto pasta, egg-topped asparagus, and fluffy pancakes. 205 East 81st Street, between Second and Third avenues August 7 Pastas galore at Tortelli. Tortelli Carroll Gardens: There's a new Brooklyn pasta shop courtesy of a trio of Italian food experts: Tortelli opened on Wednesday, August 6, from co-owners James Mather (who worked as a cook and chef at places like Lilia, Misipasta, Maialino, Roman's, and Lupa), Silvia Barban (the owner and chef of LaRina Pastificio and Briscola Trattoria, from Italy), and Vincenzo Ruggiero (owner of Mozz Lab). The menu features the namesake stuffed pasta, among others. There are dine-in and takeout services, as well as uncooked pastas and other Italian food products, and tiramisu. 359 Sackett Street, near Smith Street East Village: The East Village Indian restaurant Ishq co-owners opened a new neighborhood fast-casual spot, KebabishQ (styled as KEBABISHQ), on Wednesday, August 6. The menu features halal charbroiled kebabs, hutneys, dahi puri, kulfi, and more. 128 Second Avenue, near St. Marks Place East Village: Glorious Pakistani chopped cheeses are now available in New York courtesy of Nishaan, which opened in early August. Owner Zeeshan Bakhrani's approach to building the halal menu stems from his upbringing — the sandwich is made of a patty-shaped kebab and a chopped cheese, taking the chapli kebab spices like adobo and cinnamon, cooking the meat on a griddle, mixing in pepper jack and American cheese, and dropping it all in a hoagie. 160 First Avenue, between Ninth Street and 10th streets Greenpoint: Lower East Side's Mexican-themed La Contenta added a second location in Brooklyn on Thursday, August 7, taking over the old Hungry Burrito space with a menu full of tacos, nachos, enchiladas, and margs.1079 Manhattan Avenue, between Eagle and Dupont streets Greenpoint: Kub Kao, which opened on Thursday, August 7, brings Brooklyn bowls of warm jasmine rice and fragrant Thai staples like spicy green curry, tangy papaya salad, and crispy fried fish. 988 Manhattan Avenue, near Huron Hell's Kitchen: Hudson Local, which opened on Tuesday, August 5, brings a new spot to the neighborhood for sampling cheddar cornbread, Hudson Valley steelhead trout, and steak all in one sitting. Well-traveled chef Samuel-Drake Jones also oversees Hudson Vu, which opened in May. Opening highlights include home-made fettuccine, Benton's country ham with summer melon, and grilled cabbage with tomato curry, which channels his time in London. The bar team is Los Angeles's Alta Adams, and a wine list curated by a former L'Atelier de Robuchon sommelier. 653 11th Avenue, near 11th Avenue Upper East Side: A new below-street-level Cambodian cafe, Artara Coffee, opened in early August, as reported by East Side Feed. Along with standard coffee and espresso drinks, there are matchas with options like matcha floats, mango matcha lattes, and ube matcha foams. 214 East 82nd Street, near Third Avenue Earlier this summer East Village: The new Baos & Bowls specializes in hand-pulled Shanghai noodles, which are wok-fried and tossed in soy sauce, bok choy, and scallions. The sleek red restaurant, which opened on Monday, July 28, also offers a cucumber salad slathered in house-made garlic sauce, rice bowls, and a dim sum section starring soup dumplings. A liquor license is reportedly en route, per EV Grieve. 401 East 13th Street, at First Avenue East Village: The bar formerly called Heaven Can Wait transformed into Lucinda's Honky Tonk + Juke Joint in late July. The reimagined space, once home to other music venues like Coney Island Baby, Lola, and Brownies, is a partnership between Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams, Laura McCarthy, and Kelley Swindall. Lucinda's describes itself as a soulful Southern honky-tonk, with live country music Fridays, live-band karaoke Saturdays, and a jukebox packed with country classics. 169 Avenue A between 10th and 11th streets Flushing: Billed as a modern American restaurant with Asian flair, Blu Ember is the latest project from Balance Hospitality Group (Moli, Hinoki, and Miku Sushi in Greenwich, Connecticut), which opened in June. Situated at the foot of the new Westin Flushing LaGuardia Airport Hotel, Blu Ember showcases prime steaks, sushi, a raw bar, an omakase counter, and items cooked on a charcoal-fired Japanese binchotan grill. 137-49 Northern Boulevard, between Linden Place and Leavitt Street Jackson Heights: Angel Indian Restaurant expanded with a second location in the same neighborhood on Tuesday, July 22. 75-18 37th Avenue, between 75th and 76th streets Midtown: Hospitality vet Josh Kessler (Barnea, Bonito, Lotus Room) brings fancy Italian fare to the heart of Grand Central with the late July debut of Bucatini. Along with its namesake noodle, home-made with a choice of sauces, there's lots of antipasti like seared octopus and eggplant rotolo, skillet-based focaccia, and pizza from its Brazilian-born chef Augusto Ferreira. 2 East 45th Street, near Fifth Avenue The corn, goat curry and oxtail at Lélé. Lélé Midtown: This huge new Afro-Caribbean restaurant Lélé, which opened in late July, is led by chef Rúnar Pierre Heriveaux, an alum of Iceland's Michelin-starred Reykjavík's Óx. He showcases his Haitian heritage and French training across a menu full of green curry shrimp, fruity hamachi, and hot honey peanut chicken. The bar, which claims to be the city's first equipped with a robot bartender, delivers beachy cocktails complete with coconut water ice cubes and ginger wine floats. The three-story dining room is covered with velvety, tropical-themed furniture and chandeliers, all set to an Afrobeats soundtrack and sporadic live music. 237 Madison Avenue, between East 37th and 38th streets Mott Haven: A do-good cafe called Nourish opened for all-day service on Wednesday, July 31, in the Bronx with a catch-all menu featuring baked goods, steak frites, Korean fried chicken bites, and creative cocktails. All proceeds help support youth in the Bronx via the nonprofit Oyate Group. The site that formerly housed Chocobar Cortes features a bakery that opens at 7 a.m. until everything is sold out, with breakfast and lunch served until 4 p.m. Dinner goes from 5 p.m. to late. 141 Alexander Avenue, at East 134th Street Upper East Side: Uka Omakase slides into the uptown neighborhood in late July with 16-course tasting menus priced at an approachable $56 per person. Rotating highlights include uni flown in from Hokkaido, smoked kampachi, raw scallops, and seared salmon with foie gras. 238 East 60th Street, near Second Avenue
The Hindu
13-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Author Prajwal Parajuly chases the perfect dumpling and finds it in Chennai
Almost all my favourite restaurants in New York and London, or anywhere else, are east Asian or Southeast Asian. Clearly, I have a bias for foods from a certain part of the world. In New York, I often go to Thai Diner and Jeju and Atoboy. For no-frills Chinese, I like Chili. I've sadly not met a single New York dim sum I can unreservedly recommend—not in Chinatown, not in Flushing, and not even at the aforementioned Chili. For the perfect dim-sum, I choose Royal China Club in London. How serious a patron am I? On a recent weeklong trip to the city, I went to the restaurant four times. I twice took the train from Paris a few years ago just to eat the crispy lobster dim-sum for lunch. For Japanese, I like Akira—I was once fed an avocado there, skin intact, and was open-mouthed at the chef's ability to render spectacular the inedible. For somewhat pretentious Chinese fare, I like A Wong. The New York Din Tai Fung is better than the London one, but neither can quite capture the magic of the Asian DTFs. Closer home, in Calcutta, I go to Beijing and Chinoiserie and Ban Thai. In Delhi, I patronise a Chinese restaurant I shall not name. It's so good and so seedy. Because Chennai is the most Korean city in South Asia, I've been able to continue indulging my love for the cuisine here. But I've long asked people where to go for the best Chinese and Thai and Indonesian food here. Some recommendations were better than others. Three in particular stood out. When I was first told of Pumpkin Tales, I bristled. Any restaurant that dabbles in that much range, I'd say, deserves to rot in the same culinary backwater where five-star-hotel buffets belong. Pumpkin Tales, though, is cuisine-agnostic in the best possible way. The offerings are as varied as laksa and Balinese curry; Tuscan chicken and garlic sherry mushroom; and sandwiches and Mee Goreng. I could say the restaurant is multi-cuisine, but the term is a pejorative in my book — every place that calls itself that serves unremarkable food. Pumpkin Tales definitely doesn't do unremarkable food. Run by Chef Chindi Varadarajulu, it specialises in these wholesome, homey dishes that are often earnest and always charming. I marvel at the chef's ability to craft a sourdough pizza with as much aplomb as the Thai green curry. I marvel that my family of self-righteous eaters smiled wide after sampling almost all the vegetarian stuff on the menu. Still, if the restaurant does Asian food so well, I once asked in between mouthfuls of bibimbap, why not just open an Asian restaurant? It turns out the team had the same idea. Zhouyu, a Chinese restaurant located two floors up in the same building, comes from the house of Pumpkin Tales. I was nervous about visiting the place, which specialises in Cantonese, Sichuan and Hunan cooking, because it came recommended by my editor, with whom I disagree on everything from chutneys to commas. To complicate matters, we decided to go together. As we worked our way through the yuxiang eggplant and prawns with ridge gourd, I noticed a shift: for once, she and I were on the same page. We agreed on the originality, know-how, and flavours. We both declared everything excellent. We'd be back soon. I returned part of a big, unwieldy group of ten with ridiculous dietary requirements. Some of us were vegetarian. Others were pescatarian. Some of us liked our tongues singed by mala sauce. Others had the spice tolerance of two-year-olds who hadn't experienced the world beyond applesauce. In its recommendations, the restaurant managed to accommodate us all. We ordered the Hong Kong fish, a delicately spiced sea-bass, with zero expectations and evolved into unequivocal fans. I'd rate the dim-sum here better than any I've had in New York in terms of wrapping texture, stuffing succulence and freshness of ingredients. I caught an avowed pescatarian in our group scarf down a chicken-and-chive dumpling. There's an easy competence to these restaurants. The service is heartfelt. One of the partners is always present — the standards are high. High is also where you go to use the bathroom, which is on an altogether different floor. Both the restaurants are the size of football fields, and I'd love it if they were divided into smaller, cosier rooms. Right now, at least Zhouyu feels a bit like Singapore — seemingly perfect and a tad antiseptic. But who notices the ambience when a bowl of soybean tauchu calamari is plopped in front of you? I come from a culture in which fermented soybean is a delicacy, but I have seen it polarise eaters whether I am in Japan or in the northeast. At Zhouyu, the fussiest of us declared the dish a hit. If soul — zany, kitschy, irreplaceable soul — is what you are after, you should head to Dahlia. Origami of various sizes and colours vie for your attention in a space that could have been conjured up in your trippy dreams. Like that weren't eccentric enough, the entire restaurant is serviced by one staffer, the famous Valli, smile unfaltering. You are incredulous that you are being carpet-bombed with butter fish, kaatsu and chawan mushi in this strange joint that is suspended in time and between continents. Is it 1960s Havana, 1970s Tokyo or 1980s Chennai that you are in, you wonder. That, of course, is part of the appeal. It helps that the food is unembellished and unpretentious. It is also delightful. If only one of these restaurants opened a Sri City outlet, how delicious life would be. Prajwal Parajuly is a novelist. Karma and Lola, his new book, is forthcoming in 2026. He teaches creative writing at Krea University and oscillates between New York City and Sri City.
Time Out
12-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Thai Diner's little sister is all about chicken fingers
Just a few weeks ago, we got word from a little birdie (a.k.a. the internet) that the Thai Diner team was cooking up something special. Turns out, when they closed their beloved Uncle Boons Sister in 2020—a casual spin-off from their wildly successful restaurant, Uncle Boons, which also shuttered in the same year—they retained the keys to the space. All these years later, and the team is finally back at the 203 Mott Street. And the name of the game? Chicken fingers, baby. On Friday, August 8, the Thai Diner team debuted Mommy Pai's, a literal hop and a skip down the block from the favored Thai-American diner. Much like her other restaurants, for chef-partner Ann Redding, Mommy Pai's is a personal one. Her sister May Redding designed the branding of the restaurant (she also designed both Thai Diner and Uncle Boons), from the tropical-themed menus to the maximalist walk-up counter which mimics a traditional Thai wooden home blended with a roadside food stall. Together, the sisters pay a living tribute to their mother, Ampai, whose face you can catch plastered on the front door and smiling on menus with chicken tenders in hand. Speaking of, tenders are the name of the game. Using organic chicken as a base, you can order your gluten-free tenders fried or grilled in the style of satay, zhuzhed with your choice of Lemongrass, Muay Thai, Spicy and Coconut (which you can only get fried). There's also a vegan version, the Hat Yai Veggies, that comes with a flurry of greens—cauliflower, mushrooms, snake beans, purple sweet potato, baby bok choy and crispy shallots. You can make it a Mommy Combo ($20), which you should, as the meal comes with tenders plus a sauce and a side. Eight dipping sauces cycle through here, from the nicely spiced Phuket Island Sauce with galangal and green peppercorn to the garlic-flecked Sweet Chili Nam Jim. Sides come in the form of purple sticky rice with lettuce wraps, mommy cakes (aka silver dollar-sized coconut and scallion pancakes), rice and beans with a coconut creme to pour over and waffle fries. If you opt for the combo, you can add on a frozen drink (we liked the nicely spiced and tart Spicy Tamarind Thai Orange) for just $3 more. Order it "Thaphoon" style, and your slushie will receive a swirl of condensed milk soft serve. The menu rounds out with a few chicken and tofu sandwiches, cheekily named the Filet O'Tofu, and more sides that include Garlic Chive & Tapioca Dumplings, Curry Puff Mozzarella Sticks and chilled Green Curry Kanom Jim Noodles. But lest you leave without something a little sweet, the kitchen also has mini Taro Tapioca Donuts with pandan sangkaya custard for dipping and swirls of Thai tea and condensed milk soft serve by the cone or cup.
Eater
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Thai Diner Opens a Chicken Finger and Tropical Drink Hangout
There has not been a chicken finger that New Yorkers have clawed for since the first Raising Cane's landed two years ago in Manhattan, now with several other outposts. Mommy Pai's — located at 203 Mott Street, at Kenmare Street, in Nolita — is hatching at just the right moment and has all the makings for success. That's because the new Thai chicken finger takeout counter — opening on Friday, August 8 — comes from Ann Redding and Matt Danzer, behind Thai Diner, blending what their other restaurant does best: creative comfort food with a Thai twist. Only this time, it's a fast food operation, serving out of a takeout-only window down the street. Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet 'Honestly, Gray's Papaya really inspired me — that salty little something with the tropical fruit drink,' says Redding. As the name would suggest, her mother, Ampai, is also the mascot. 'The way she took food we ate in the States and made it her way,' like memories of her mother ordering fried chicken at Roy Rogers and tweaking it by making lettuce wraps from the fixins bar. Mommy Pai's intends to replicate that feeling: It serves chicken fingers (grilled or fried) in flavors like lemongrass, coconut, or Muay Thai, with garlic, soy, fish sauce, and coriander. Choose from eight sauces, like the Heavenly BBQ (capturing the flavors of the Thai beef jerky known as heavenly beef), or the noom green sauce. Make it a combo set, with the choice of Mommy Cakes, a Thai play on Johnny cakes, som tum slaw, and waffle fries. Plus, slurp a tropical drink in flavors like pineapple-basil, tamarind, and mango-coconut. On the sandwich side there's Filet O'Tofu, with nam prik noom, American cheese, mayo, scallion, cilantro and pickled cucumber; the Jungle Queen, with a smashed chicken thigh patty with fermented bamboo, green chile relish, American cheese; or the Mommy Royale, choice of chicken or tofu with American cheese, pickled greens, and 'special sauce.' Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet For dessert, find Thai tea and condensed milk twist soft serve, and mini taro tapioca doughnuts with pandan sangkaya custard. 'The sleeper hits are the sides, I could make a meal just out of that,' says Danzer, pointing to the garlic chive and tapioca dumplings. Meanwhile, the curry puff mozzarella sticks have been 'polarizing' amongst early tastetesters. 'I'm curious what the people have to say about it,' says Redding. Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet Building off Thai Diner's success, focusing on chicken fingers seems exactly in their wheelhouse. And yes, they're being purposeful in calling it a chicken finger, not tender, since they're using chicken thighs ('more juicy and flavorful,' says Danzer). Still, it's also a lot of pressure to rework a beloved American childhood favorite. 'We're on the version we're calling '32' of our dredges,' says Redding of recipe testing. 'You know, you're tasting it, and then you start to get insecure and suddenly we're ordering chicken from everywhere, tasting theirs, being like, I think we're okay… yeah, we're okay!' Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet It's a full circle moment: About a decade ago, the couple signed a lease at 203 Mott Street with the initial intent of opening a chicken-themed offshoot to their Michelin-starred uber-hit Thai restaurant, Uncle Boons, around the corner. In the end, they put that dream on hold and pivoted. In 2016, they debuted Mr. Donahue's, an American diner — 'still my favorite art project,' says Redding — at the address that received two stars from the New York Times. But running a restaurant with just 12 seats didn't math and it closed a year later. In 2017, the couple rebranded the space as Uncle Boons Sister, a fast-casual restaurant with dine-in seating, but it, like its senior sibling, Uncle Boons shut down during COVID. Fans mourned. For the past five years, 203 Mott Street has served as commissary headquarters for Thai Diner's desserts (they're known in particular for their sentient monster cakes), leaving fans wondering if Redding and Danzer would ever reopen the space to the public. All these years later, the LLC is still chicken-related: Ready, when they were. Jutharat Pinyodoonyachet Today's dining landscape makes more sense for a takeout-only operation. The exterior has been rebuilt to reference Thai wood homes and the feeling of food stalls. Even with the limited square footage, every detail is collaged with cheeky, personal details to their family story. Order at the counter and grab a seat outside or take it to-go in one of their custom boxes, designed by Ann's sister, May, who does all of the visual identities for their restaurants, down the can for their custom beer. An image of Mommy Pai greets diners on a lit-up menu screen with playful long fingers. May photographed Ampai in nostalgic, colorful outfits, images then transformed into oil-painted portraits by the artist Khun Ott, known for Thai movie posters circa the 1970s. Eventually, Mommy Pai's will offer delivery. 'Every time we do an opening, we try and be smarter. In the past, it's been too much too fast, so we want to take our time to get it right,' says Redding. Even after several restaurants, 'It never gets easier!' she says. Especially, when they have the Thai Diner fanbase, with the kind of sustained turnout that few restaurants maintain after their initial launch season. No doubt, customers will sniff out Mommy Pai's and follow the smell of coconut just down the street.
Time Out
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Photograph: Alex Muccilli
While Little Italy might be an unlikely neighborhood for a Thai diner, Thai Diner makes the case for swapping out your morning cannoli and cappuccino for congee, coconut pancakes, and Thai iced tea. From the folks who brought you the late, great Uncle Boons, the menu brings back that restaurant's best hits—like their crab fried rice with spicy seafood nam prik and a gooey, gigantic coconut sundae—while introducing new dishes that loom just as large in our imaginations. The space is cozy and welcoming, with hanging lanterns above and the plates at the next table close enough that you might be tempted to reach out and grab a steaming Thai disco fry from your neighbor's plate while you wait for your order to come out of the kitchen. We wouldn't blame you if you did: the dish, one of Thai Diner's knockouts, comes hot and salty, dripping with massaman curry and coconut cream and piled with peanuts and pickled peppercorns. Stop by for an early-bird breakfast from 8:30am to 11am, which features sweet-and-salty dishes like Thai tea, Babka French toast, and soy-anise eggs, or soak up a Saturday night on the town with tapioca dumplings in a spicy dipping sauce and a standout phat see ew served with vinegared chilies. Whenever you come, make sure to save room for dessert—the eminently photographable strawberry chrysanthemum 'monster cake' comes with scary-cute eyes, a mouth and a surprising layer of bright green jelly, and the Uncle Boon's coconut sundae is packed with coconut gelato, coconut caramel and a salty, sticky mess of toasted coconut and candied peanuts. The drink: Pitchers of tamarind margaritas and guava sours, plus a kicked-up punch bowl made with rum and Thai tea.
