Em Thai Kitchen
278 Smith Street
(between Degraw St & Sackett St)
Brooklyn, NY 11231 (718) 834-0505
- Nearest Transit:
Carroll St (F, G)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
23 Reviews for Em Thai Kitchen
This is probably the hood's best Thai. I rarely have a quibble or really take note of staff, but I've had a number of disappointing experiences with Em's. That said, the food delivers--and Em delivers--so we've worked out a mutually satisfactory detente.
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In this neighborhood, which is totally saturated by Thai restaurants, you'd better bring your A game. Em Thai came up Em Pty last night.
The portions are small, which kind of worked out, because the food was suboptimal. The tasty pumpkin peanut sauce was totally undercut by the tough, leathery duck it covered. The Pad Thai, the bellwether of Thai food, was rather bland; the noodles tasted more like plain buttered noodles.
Paid way more that I do around the corner at Joya, and liked the food about half as much - or less.
Don't let the slick web site fool you.
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I went to Em with my friend who is on break from Peace Corps because she was craving Thai and she wanted it right away. I was slightly nervous to let her down since this was her first Thai meal for a year but everything went well. Everyone that came with me enjoyed their meals. We went on a Sunday night so it was pretty calm. The decor is fun, I agree with Amy about the moma store resemblance. Even the take out menu has an interesting graphic design.
Our waitress was just attentive enough to make everything flow smoothly.
I had the Pineapple Curry w vegetable and tofu and it was delicious and filling.
When I order Thai (delivered) I choose Em Thai. Consistently good. Can vouch for the masaman curry, green curry, and thai fried rice. Delivery is (usually) super-fast!!
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em totally rips. the service is very attentive, the food is the best thai ive had in brooklyn and it comes out so quickly you barely have time to polish off your first very tasty sake mojito. they have an excellent happy hour from 5-7:30pm (i think every night, but definitely on the weekends) wherein every cocktail is 3 bucks and a singha is 2.
the decor is supercute moma-store style and contributes to the overall awesomeness. oh and everything is cheap, too!
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I so wanted to love Em Thai because they were the first place I noticed in the neighborhood that serve mock duck. It wasn't that it was bad, but the dish we ordered with mock duck (pad kee mao) was totally underwhelming. The sauce was way too sweet and not nearly spicy enough. The mock duck was okay, but I've had better elsewhere. However, I must give them credit for a truly delicous mango salad and a more than adequate spicy string bean dish. I may or may not return, but if I do, I certainly won't order the kee mao, which is a shame, because it's generally my favorite dish.
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I sooooo love Em! Ok, I have to preface and say that my parents are Thai and I grew up eating Thai food, so I'm VERY critical when it comes to Thai restaurants. I've ordered a bunch of dishes from this place and I've always been happy. I can't remember the last time I went here (I used to go here a lot when I was with my ex; it's in his neighborhood), but I totally would go again if I didn't have to risk bumping into him again, lol.
I ordered delivery on Sunday 30 March 2008. I had the Spicy Basil Noodles and the Gaolden Tofu.
The Gaolden Tofu was fine, although it's pretty hard to get fried tofu wrong; it's a simple dish.
I was, however, extremely disappointed with the Spicy Basil Noodles. First, it had a large quantity of baby corn and celery in it. These are often used by Thai and Chinese restaurants as cheap filler to make the dish seem bigger with more vegetables when in fact they have skimped completely on the better vegetables such as peppers, and the like.
Of course, you expect with a dish like this to have a lot of oil, it's a part of the fun. However, these noodles had far too much oil. It made for lots of fat, which was filling, but not delicious.
Finally, the sauce didn't taste fresh; I wouldn't be surprised if it was pre-made. I've tasted Thai-cook-at-home kits that have made better sauce.
Perhaps it's a nice place to go; I don't know, I got delivery. However, if you are looking for a delivery option, I think this is among the worst Thai food that I've ever had.
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My whole house is addicted to Em Thai.
The Sunday ritual is to recover from the weekend's insanity on the couch with spring rolls and dumplings.
I could seriously eat it every single day (okay, maybe just every other day). They are super nice, whether you're dining in, taking out, or having it delivered. And they're fast!
I can never decide between the Red Curry or the Khee Mao, but trust me, whichever dish you order, I guarantee it will be delicious. And make sure to order the Thai iced tea - it makes an excellent dessert!
Since moving to the neighbourhood I've been wanting to try all the restaurants, but with this place right down the street, I fear Em Thai will be the only place I'll know to take people to when they visit.
At least I know it will always be yummy!
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Good Thai food in the elk of Sea, Spice, etc. If you've been there, you've been here. Enjoyed the Mango salad - was sort of like a Green Papaya, but with Cashews and Mangos instead. Lots of good veggie options, a nice choice for a cheap, lite and healthy lunch.
I ordered from em yesterday at work. I'd placed an order from Brooklyn Bread that took over an hour and a half and then I got attitude from the delivery guy that he was standing out front for "15 minutes." sure buddy. 15 minutes in a driving rainstorm that was not at my address which I stipulated several times. "4th Street" becomes "Court Street" really quickly to some folks. After I canceled the order I quickly called another joint cause I was starving at this point. Em came through. I placed the call at 2:33 and had a solid lunch special of Pad Ginger sitting on my desk by 2:50. That's good delivery and in the rain.
The lunch specials are pretty great. They come with rice, the main dish, a spring roll, and 2 gyoza type dumplings. And it's 7 bucks. I had to order another spring roll order to get the delivery but I was hungry enough to do that anyway so no sweat there. Em is solid. And yes, Joya is now greasy and not that awesome. I think Song has taken away their eye on the ball.
I'm a loyalist now. I ordered take-out last night and arrived home to find that instead of giving me a mango salad, they gave me a mango dessert. I called them up to let them know, and they delivered the mango salad for free (in under ten minutes!), and encouraged me to try the mango dessert - "it's sweet and very tasty! You'll like it!"
I suppose this is the minimum level of service one should expect from a restaurant. But believe me, it's so rare to find that when I actually do experience it, I'm rewarding it.
They were right, it the dessert was tasty. But not as good as the mango salad.
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This was some of the best Thai food we've had in a long time. My chang mai was delicious, if artery clogging. I was eyeing my man's massaman curry and thinking 'oh they just took the same curry and threw some pineapple in there' but when I tasted it it was actually quite different and very good. We did ask for our entrees extra spicy but we initially couldn't tell, the heat was a slow build, just the way it should be! Roti canai appetizer was also delicious. I don't know what else I can say delicious, delicious, delicious and we didn't even try their pad thai!
Imagine the menu at Sea and Planet Thai... and put it on Smith St. Has the same feel, funky setting and plates, red branches on the wall.
Beers are cheap... food is a very decent portion size and staff while they are slightly slow is friendly. Taste wise, it's pretty good. Not life changing, sorry guys but good.
And the bathrooms are ... cute.
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Couldn't agree more with Uncle B. I think Joya is really overrated and SO effing noisy it's almost pointless to go unless you're fluent in lip reading. I also find their food to be extremely greasy. Yuktown! 'Em is totally underrated. Cheap and delicious with a much better atmosphere. Their specials are great too. Beats the ginger out of Lemongras, obviously.
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great atmosphere.
perfectly nice and attentive waitstaff.
cheap as hell prices.
good menu.
TERRIFIC FOOD!!!
super clean and modern atmosphere but not sterile. I felt right at home with all the Crate and Barrel dishware.
the food is perfectly proportioned. enough to eat a whole plate and feel very full but not stuffed.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Timely delivery even to the fringe. Green Papaya Salad is right on. Spicy Basil Noodles good, good. Red Hot String Bean is seriously spiced, wonderful full flavor and yes, Red Hot from start to finish. The Golden Tofu has an interesting sauce, provided w/ wrapping lettuce, might be missing something, basil? Finally glad to have a neighborhood alternative to lower Manhattan's Pong Sri which serves wonderful food. Can't wait for an excuse to check out their eat-in. About the cost, I'll go with "Em Thai is less money for a family than so many lesser places -- if you know how to order Not Too Much." Enjoy -and- tell them your Hot-ness!
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In our n'hood, one seems to have a "relationship" with the Thai restaurants around. Everyone I know frequents only ONE, and they tend to be faithful to that establishment. Once in a while, however, something happens and they sample another eatery. Then, they can never go back! That's our scenario. At first, it was Joya. Love at first bite. But then it became a bit clubby and we felt dirty. Next, we found Tuk Tuk. Yum! That relationship lasted over a year. Then, the quality of the grub went downhill fast and there were reports of uncleanliness! Yuk Yuk. We dumped them and were without a Thai companion for a while. Nine 9 popped up just south of us and we fell hard. Total rebound. Just what we needed after a dry spell: Dark, friendly, romantic enough. Then we contracted a case of food poisoning. It was over as fast as it began. But now, we've found a faithful plate again at 'Em. While not a torrid affair, it's attractive, fun, reliable, cozy and convenient. Their Pad Thai is good and the Spicy Basil Noodle rocks. Veg options all around. What does it have that the others don't? Taro Veggie Parcels, for one. We're happy, for now.
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This restaurant is, foremost, attractive. It's tiny, but they make good use of the space, and I love the white walls with the crimson and black PVC coral pieces creeping along the ceiling like an upside-down ocean. Anyway, the dish I ordered (green vegetarian curry) was not to my liking, but I think it had more to do with my tastes than the quality of the food itself. Everything was fresh and well-plated, but the mixture of the peppers and curry with the coconut milk just didn't make me happy. My brother tried some and loved it, and also thought his chicken and shrimp lemon grass soup was perfect, and not over-powering. By his recommendation, I would go there again and just order something I know and love. The staff is all right, but a bit immature around lunch time, as they were all sitting down from me and eating themselves. It's fine considering I was the only one in there at 4pm on a Tuesday, but it still bothered me a bit. Menu is expansive (with a gorgeous amount of vegetarian dishes) and moderately priced. The bathrooms are definitely ugly and awkward.
Carroll Gardens is also a beautiful neighbourhood with a lot of cool shops and eateries, so check it out.
grabbed some take out from this place last night and gotta say, its fantastic. we only got two aps because it was late but the wild rice and the spicy green beans where phenomenal! def going back with a bigger appetite and before 10.
Em's take-out menu prints a definition of the name, "The significant faint sound that escapes one's mouth after a good and fulfilling meal, usually proceeding a satisfactory burp." They can back that up. They do Thai as well as a lot of other places, which is great, and an entree is plenty to fill you up, so you'll not go nuts on the cost. No real surprises on the menu and a $7 lunch special (should never be over $6) keep it slow during the sun-times, but for dinner your in the right ballpark with a kooky, post-modern forest done in red and white.
I have only ordered takeout, but it is definitely the best in the neighborhood. Much better than Joya. It rivals Amarin Cafe in Greenpoint which is more of a crossover with nouveau cuisine. The fish, curry and noodle dishes are very good. I haven't tasted the beef or shellfish. Highly recommended!
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yummy yummy yummy! my friend emily loves this place because a) it's right around the corner from her place, b) it's awesome, c) it's called em and people call her em :)
i loved my green curry with shrimp from here. perfectly spicy and tasty. i only wish there were more asian eggplants in it. i love those things, especially in em's curry. you can't go wrong with em.
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