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W 4th St (A, C, E, B, D, F, V)
Christopher St (1)
9th Street (PATH)
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A group of friends and I went here on a cold rainy weeknight. Because of our party size (eight I think) we were put in the side room and had to sit on stools - they weren't too uncomfortable, though. The restaurant had a decent wine selection and we were all happy with our drinks. I started with the Tom Kha soup with tofu which was delicious - exactly what I needed to warm up. The others at the table split a few appetizers including the summer rolls and the duck salad, which received rave reviews. For my entree, I had the drunken noodles with tofu. Usually I need to add hot sauce to my Thai food but this was perfectly spiced - the little bit of burn I love but not too hot. It would have been better with a few more veggies, though.
The only annoying part was that the waitstaff kept rushing us to order and were eager to push us out. I realize we're a big party but give us time to enjoy the food! Once you get past that, the place is great. Enjoy!
The good:
Their Larb Gai was pretty good, both in flavor and size.
The bad:
The pineapple fried rice was mostly flavorless and literally only had THREE pineapples :(.
We were the last of four tables that night and they were literally trying to push us out the door- they tried to take my friend's food three times when he was still chewing and holding his chop-sticks!
We were entertaining friends from out of town. We decided to come here for a Sunday Brunch. We ordered the pad thai (which was good), shrimp clay pot, red curry and several other dishes. It took awhile for the food to come out but we enjoyed our meal.
After paying the bill and giving 17% tip, the waitress came back with our change and informed us that "our tip was a little light and that we need to give at LEAST TWICE the bill", told us that they work for tips only and we needed to give them more. Not only that, she told us that it was an NYC law to give at least that much...NOW...being in the hospitality business, Rule 1) that is NOT SOMETHING YOU TELL a customer especially someone that specializes in the food industry in the area. Rule 2) Last time I checked, tips are earned. Rule 3) if you demand that much tip to begin with, try remembering who ordered what and be attentive. (there was a total of 6 people in the whole restaurant...4 belonged to out table. The service was slow)
The food was good and the service was ok. After this incident, would I recommend this place to my friends..the answer is "N.O."
A dollar bill that feels like a million dollar, no kidding....
We have just been at Galanga, literally just 20 minutes ago. Let me first be serious about food: It is good food, a little better than OK to fill in a stomach and I can live with it, but nothing spectacular...
Now comes the story: We ordered a bottle of wine. My wine glass was dirty, I asked the waitress to replace it, she just wiped it (and saw her wiping it) and brought the same glass back with the dirt stains on it. I said myself "OK whatever" and enjoyed my meal and wine. When the receipt came, I paid 15% tip because I thought that was more than what the service deserved. And I usually pay no less than 18%, simply double the tax. Then the waitress came back with the money tray in her hand and told me in front of my GF that they accept as tip the double of the tax rate and she asked in a demeaning manner what went wrong. I explained. I also told that the tip that I left was more than enough...
Then I said in front of my GF, "oh btw, since you have asked, let me get $2 back", I approached the money tray, grabbed a dollar bill. As soon as I grabbed the bill, she held back the tray and ran back....How dumb...Oh baby, how good that dollar bill felt in my hand!!!
Have I enjoyed my meal? Yes. But the finish was absolutely worth every penny, and the dollar bill I got back is definitely sweeter than the sweet millions...
Will I go back? Never again... the food is comparable to any I can find anywhere else. But I don't want to tip some arrogant idiots with my hard-earned money...
Hey Nina S., that was for you, too. Enjoy!
This is great thai food. The staff is fun and friendly. Prices are ideal. If you're a fan of thai food, this is definitely a place you should check out.
I tried this place after having Spice a week before and this places Pad Thai Veggie with Tofu was just amazing.
If you are a Veggie just make sure to ask for things with no Egg.
The people are very nice too! I ordered some kind of appetizer roll and it turned out to have shrimp in it and they gave me a fresh batch in like 2 minutes with no shrimp in it! It was very nice of them.
LOVED the Pad Thai, it was one of the best I have had in my life and it was FAAAR better than the one I had a Spice.
delicious food. Great atmosphere.
Wish i lived in NY so I could go there more often!
My cousins were in town this weekend and I was all set to drag them to Meskerem (yes I drag all my guests to eat Ethiopian food under the pretext that they're going to love it because it is similar to South Indian food) but they put their foot down and we had to look for a Thai place in the west village.
When my feeble attempts to convince them about VP2 or Red Bamboo also failed, I remembered the cozy looking restaurant right opposite VP2. Galanga.
It's a tiny space and surprisingly uncrowded for a Saturday evening. They were really accomodating and agreed to make everything without the fish sauce. A lot of the items on the menu can be customized to be vegetarian. Galanga, you have 3 stars from me already.
I tried the lychee sake martini. It was nice but a tad too sweet - I wasn't complaining so much about the sweetness after my curry arrived though. I was not a huge fan of the apple sake martini that my cousin ordered, again too sweet.
One of my cousins got the clear vegetable soup - its smell filled my nostril and made me want to reach out across the table and devour half the salty flavourful broth. Which, by the way, I did.
As entrees, we got the mom green curry and the massaman curry to share. Both were perfect in flavour - sweet, spice lemongrass and al dente veggies. I liked the massaman curry especially, and they were pretty generous with the peanuts and potatoes. Yummy. If I had to pick on one thing, it would be that the green curry gravy was thinner than the way I like it.
Another one of us got the chicken pad thai which he didn't look up from for the rest of the meal so it must've been good.
Filling portions, pleasing to the tastebuds, reasonably priced, accomodating staff.
Cash only.
Yum, Yum, Yum! Galanga is a real find. Cheap, good and friendly. The restaurant is tiny and the tables are small so it makes it hard if you order more than two things. When school is in session Galanga is a real hang out for NYU students. They don't take credit cards so make sure you bring cash. I am a fan of the Green Papaya Salad.
Friday nights there is often a wait.
THEY RUSH YOU THROUGH YOUR WHOLE MEAL!
Ok, I concede, the crispy duck salad was nothing short of amazing. I had the mom green curry, it was good. a little watery but tasty. My friend had pad thai and liked it a lot. So for that, they get 2 pts. BUT... the experience was completely soured by how aggressive the service was there. And by aggressive I mean RUDE and ANNOYING. They must have interrupted us ten times in mid conversation to see if we were ready to order or wanted refills or wanted dessert. They kept trying to take our plates before we had finished. I wanted to ask if there was a hidden line outside. The place was not packed and yet they were acting as if there was a 2 week waiting list to get a table. They left the check on a plate and we continued talking while we got out our cash. Before we could even lay it down on the plate, one women came and picked up the plate and shook it as if it wasn't apparent that we hadnt settled the check yet.
There are enough decently priced, good tasting thai places in the village that I will NOT be coming back here and I am telling my friends. They are really rude and it really can ruin an otherwise really good meal.
$9 for pad thai @dinner = AWESOME! it was delish too.
got the hot thai tea, which was SUPERB.
very cute casual thai place.
waitress was extremely nice, and my water glass was never empty.
my friend lives a few steps away and had never been here, so we moseyed in and had yummy yummy thai.
This place has endured in my mind as my go-to Thai place. All of what I said in my first review is still true.
On a regular basis, perhaps over 12+ visits, the spiciness varies. So on any given day the level 3 hot can be anywhere from mild to unbearable.
They have really delicious lemonades too, if you're of the non-alcohol persuasion. They're small portions, but homemade and very good, though they are garnished with a lime.
The service is usually pretty attentive and the waitresses quite friendly, though some nights they won't bring you a check until you ask specifically for it.
They have really good Sate, pretty good summer rolls and fried tofu (classics, yes). Their basil is always delicious, and all of their wok fries are done with the vegetables perfect and al dente. Also of note is their cashew chicken and drunken noodle.
Overall, I think they're quite reasonable priced for their location ($9 for a plate + rice), though it's a shame they don't take cards. But overall, this is one of the few places I eat at regularly because of how consistently good I think the food is.
The chicken basil is excellent. fairly priced (~$10) and with a decent portion. I've eaten a lot of… Read more »
Table for 7. One woman walk up to us and says only "Drinks?". We're handed prepoured water sitting out on the bar. She returns quickly and says "Order." We do. Considerable time passes, and 2 people we haven't seen yet start coming to the table, one plate at a time, holding the food up and inaudibly saying it's name. Four people get food. A fifth plate arrives, is forced upon almost everyone but it is nothing we ordered, and it is taken away. Three have no food. We watch diners seated after us get served. My mother politely asks "Where's our food?" because only half the table has been served, yet no one has acknowledged that. The server rudely says "It's coming" and gives her a very clear dirty look before shaking her head and walking away. We're not addressed again, time is passing, everyone else is almost done and we are getting close to the time of the show we are off to. Frustrated, we decide to leave, I tell the person behind the bar that our food never came, cancel it, and that we were going to be late for our show and we were leaving, and we go to get pizza across the street. (Real nice for the special occasion it was).
Now here's the fun part- the perhaps manager or owner starts harassing the people left at the table that they will have to pay, so they call me and I return to the restaurant to set it straight, where this person makes a fool of herself and the restaurant by loudly arguing with me for as long as I would have let her.
I was calmly but decidedly asserting that if food was never served to me and I never ate, I would not be paying for it, and that maybe if someone had told us what was happening it might have worked out better. As it was, we never saw the server that took our order again, and only the server that gave my mom the rude response and dirty look come over to help yell at us. I've worked in the restaurant industry for seven years, I've never seen anything quite like this. The owner/manager is saying stuff like "You never tell us you go to show," and I explained that didn't need to explain my nightly plans to them to get adequate service, and maybe if they waitress spoke to us, she could find something like that out. As it is, it shouldn't take 40 minutes to get food in a half empty restaurant. They said that the pork chop someone ordered takes a long time..that was one of the things actually served. What wasn't was grilled chicken and identical orders of Pad Thai. "But we make it!" To which I responded those are the losses you take when you make mistakes. I could go on and on, but it's hard to really explain in writing. She would not let up, I told her that she was wasting her time, and she gave a teenage girl style loud I sigh and stormed away. This was in front of the rest of the staring customers.
It was mayhem, I'm serious. Ruined our dinner completely, with relatives traveling far to visit. In any other restaurant, if half the table is served only, the server might make some explanation and reassurance, not dirty looks and ignoring the customers. Parties of our size have 18% gratuity automatically added. The fact that the food was mindlessly auctioned off, and wrong food was forced us on by people we had never seen was enough to start it out. What an unprofessional horrible place. The food people did get wasn't even good- one's noodles were so overcooked if he lifted them with his chopsticks they'd break and fall limp back to the plate.
If you plan to go, good luck. Hope you've got two hours to kill, no desire to eat at the same time as your guests, a penchant for being treated like garbage, and an appetite for disgusting food.
Pretty decent Thai food - can't beat the location. Nice NYC spot, close to Washington Square Park and in the heart of the Village. Ordered the Mint Lemonade (super sweet - but not in a great way), Crispy Duck Spring Rolls (good, but very little duck), and the Chicken Pad See Ew, which was good. Service was quick, and was psyched to read on our receipt that our server's name was "Pookie Sexbomb." Overall, good spot.
Best drunken noodle around NYU!!! Spicy if you request it as such, large portion, and under $10 - can't get any better than that! Wish they had roti canai, but their thai salad made up for it. Excellent peanut dressing! And they deliver too? My new favorite restaurant!! The sake martinis are great here as well, and good value for $8 (lots of sake contained therein!). My dining companion's pad thai looked delicious and well portioned as well.
Spicy food
Cheap drinks
Exposed brick
Cash only
West Village
This is totally my kind of place. Imagine my glee when I tasted that mind-boggling Thai Laksa. Since I was in familar company, I actually started licking the laksa like a dog towards the end of the meal. (Yes, this is what you get for being friends with me.) The Laksa was truly UNBELIEVABLE and it more than compensated (by a mile) for the average corn fritters I had as an appetizer.
Since it rains an awful lot these days, you have the perfect excuse for a steaming bowl of Galanga's delectable Laksa!
* Since I love to look up names of restaurants, here is another unneccessary factoid: Galanga comes from Galangal, which is an aromatic root found in Southeast Asia, and is like a cousin of ginger.
I thought this place was pretty good but not great and in a city full of great I can take it or leave it. I had the zen noodles and my date had the pad-see-yoo. I found mine to be a little lacking in taste but once I asked for and added the hot chili sauce it was much more enjoyable. It was a little strange when they brought my food a full 5 minutes before his and then I didn't know whether to eat or wait (Miss Manners lets you eat before others when food is hot but I felt strange seeing as there were only two of us). We had the duck spring rolls as an appy - they were good but I didn't see any duck. Guess that's why the most memorable thing was the server's name on the bill at the end of the meal: Pookie Sexbomb.
Went here with a large group of folks, so got a lot of feedback on what people liked and didn't like. I think for the location it's passable to good. The appetizers (corn fritters and calamari) were ok if somewhat heavily breaded, curries (massaman and green) were ok, the noodles weren't overcooked, but all in all nothing to blow one away. The flavoring was decidedly middle-of-the-road. But, the location is good; and for the location it's at, the price ain't bad. However, it's really not that far to the Thai places in Hell's Kitchen (a/k/a Clinton) for decidedly better food.
Also, I understand that we were there on a busy day -- Saturday (tho I think 6 is still fairly early); but it doesn't excuse how the servers would hover to take away any plates that that had less than 1/2 of the original amount of food.
Sigh. Ok I'm sorry yelpers - but I need to rate this a 2 star so that I can try to make a dent in the 4 star rating, thats crazy talk!!
So I did not have a great experience here, they really took forever with the food even though it wasnt busy, forgot to take our dinner portion order, then got my dinner wrong, and sent my check to the wrong table. wow - all in one sitting. And to be honest, I dont even care about all of that, im all about the food... and it was mediocre-average-decent thai food... so yeah i just dont think this should be a yelp 4 star candidate! I would say a solid 3 star...(not taking into account the service issues I had).. but 4... come on now... thats hard to come by around here.
Oh and to give some perspective: we ordered: duck spring roll, salt and pepper calamari, chicken satay, and pad see ew for dinner.
Delicious! We had the drunken noodles and green chicken curry - great. Also good cocktails.
I live off the L, she lives off the C. Every time we try and choose a place in the middle, we find ourselves appalled by Meatpacking and unwilling to venture downtown to cheaper restaurants in the dead of winter.
Hello, Galanga, my new haunt.
The Thai is cheap, delicious, and right off W 4th. It feels like a downtown Land (both on the UWS and UES) with a small, albeit not-exactly-cramped space, and tasty noodles.
But it's not Land. So I'm holding at 4 stars and a new destination to renew my heterosexual life partner vows over pad thai.
I'm in charge of dinner reservations when family friends visit from out of town. Depending on the type of guest they are and they're preferences, I choose a restaurant accordingly. This time it was to be a low-key (cheap)Thai restaurant, that could accomodate a party of eight, plus one more (taken cared of immediately by the waitresses).
The restaurant is small and dimly lit, which definitely gives off a warm cozy atmosphere. Our rsv was honored, no wait; and when we left within seconds a party of seven came in.
Overall, the food was good, tasty and enjoyed by everyone. There were no complaints; we ate and chatted away. The dishes were served promptly, and service was smooth, especially when mother ordered a couple of more dishes, and the table ordered drinks separately, and my sis came at the last minute.
We sat at a narrow table so I didn't get to taste most of the other entrees, except for the ones near me, but I can say all the apps were yummy.
Seafood Ceviche - abundance of fresh octopus, scallops, and shrimps mixed in a citrusy tart dressing
Grilled Baby Octopuses - marinated in a tangy lime vinagrette
Shrimp Cucumber Salad - skewered shrimp over cucumber and mixed greens in a light lemony lime vinagrette
Larb Lmai - minced chicken in a spicy lime juice (just ok, wouldn't order again)
All apps were fresh and flavorful from the lime and herbs, and portions were just right to be shared.
I had chicken in green curry, I'm not too fond of bamboo, but it was julienned so you hardly taste the distinct bamboo flavor. Irri had shrimp fried rice, it's a pretty ordinary dish to order at a Thai restaurant, but WOW was it amazing. Seriously, it was taaasty. I was so close to just eating off her plate like it was my own =) We were even trying to distinguish the extra flavor that made the fried rice stand out.
Irri and I were impressed and agreed Galanga is a perfect place to dine at more often, and definitely comeback for the cocktails that we missed out on. They also had a huge sangria jar with diced fruits. I also missed out on the mango over sticky rice dessert (my fave) because everyone wanted Pinkberry.
Reasonable prices, usually not too crowded, and fairly authentic according to a couple of fairly reliable Thai friends.
A nice little place in the village, the waitstaff is friendly but not overly hovering, I enjoy it.
Pretty tasty and I'm not crazy about Thai food.
I ordered three apps as part of my meal:
grilled squid - smoky and very flavorful. The accompanying green hot sauce was just the right amount of spiciness
summer rolls - really fresh. You can tell it was made to order as the rice paper wasn't dried out and the peanut sauce added that extra flavor boost
tom yum soup - a bit lacking in terms of vegetables but the broth was fragrant and very perfumed.
I also tried the five spice duck - a little greasy for my taste but still good nonetheless.
Cash Only!
I ate here for the first time the other night and was pleasantly surprised by the food. The actual space is small and cramped and you have to squeeze between tables, but it's not bad enough to keep me from going back.
We started off with jeeb dumplings and the sweet corn fritters. The dumplings were good, but the corn fritters were downright fantastic - easily the best I've ever had. I ordered the Zen noodles with chicken and my friend ordered the rama peanut with shrimp and we shared our dishes. Both dishes were fantastic and we were both stuffed to the gills before we could finish.
We didn't realize that this place was cash-only (I had just enough cash to cover my share, which is unusual since I rarely carry cash these days), so my friend had to duck out to the ATM down the street so he could pay for his share. I don't recall seeing any signage that indicated that the place was cash-only, so we were a little surprised when the server wouldn't take a card.
Other than the cash-only aspect, this is a great place for delicious Thai food. I will definitely be back!
Clean, modern, and very yummy Thai resto. Everything was delicious and fresh, with clean and clear flavors. I ordered a curry noodle that wasn't overdone with coconut milk. My friend's whole snapper was incredibly delicious. Fried bananas for dessert were as light as such a desert can be. Don't miss the delicious mint lemonade.
Prices are totally average but the food is not. Decor is lovely too: low dark wood tables and backless stools. A large community table in the center of the room. Attractive lighting. Will definitely put on my list of favorite Thai restos.
FYI: CASH ONLY!!!
Galanga is probably the best thai I've ever had and I've eaten there at least a dozen times. I only gave it four stars because there is a weird, unfriendly vibe with the servers who usually look at me like I walked in in a pirate costume, complete with parrot, peg leg, and scary voice.
Alas, their food is just wonderful. I recommend: the drunken noodle (very, very spicey), the apple/shredded duck salad, the pad thai, panang curry, masaman curry, fresh summer rolls...everything is great! Decent wine selection, cool vibe, great location. They are almost always playing brazilian bossanova...or some non-brazilian groups covering bassanova tunes. Cash only. Highly recommended, just don't expect a chipper server.
Forgive me forefathers, for I have sinned... or rather disgraced my brown people.
I have now confirmed that when you come to a Thai restaurant and are brown and do not specify your spice tolerance... you are defaulted to mega hot. Call it racial profiling or call it an educated assumption. I almost died eating the Drunk Man Noodles. Five glasses of water after I am crying and choking (literally), the sweetly smiling servers rush my plate away and return with a version reserved for the 'goras'... and look at me with tender pity as they refill my water glass every 2.3 minutes. With such service and quaint ambiance - I will definitely be back for another attempt to redeem my people's spicy legacy.
Mmm, I love going someplace on my school's dime.
Anyway, for some reason, I thought this place was going to have Indian food (probably because the name reminds me of M.I.A.'s "Galang" and she worked on the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack), but I was happy to see that it was Thai. Our big group ordered some appetizers for the table, of which I had the spring rolls and calamari. Both were small dishes, and the spring rolls were a bit bland, but the calamari was better. Not great, but decent, especially at a place like this. I'm not really sure why it was paired with peanut sauce, though...
For my entree, I got shrimp pad thai. I was excited to see whole shrimp in my dish as opposed to those fake little shrimps you normally find in most Thai restaurants. Overall, though, there wasn't anything too spectacular about the pad thai. Again, good, but not great. My fellow diners around me seemed to have the same impression about their pineapple fried rice, chicken pad thai, and chicken/beef skewers. The highly of my meal was definitely my apple sake martini, which was beyond delicious.
The staff were ok but clearly overwhelmed by the fact that their small restaurant was packed with people. It's extremely hot inside, so make sure to order water or you'll definitely feel faint. And big groups are definitely welcome; we had a group of 14, there was another 14-top right behind us, and there was still some room. Obviously, though, make arrangements ahead of time if you're going to bring that many people in.
Bathroom Grade: 4/10. It smelled like incense, I could barely see, and the ceiling was low enough to make me feel like I was in mortal peril, so I can only imagine what someone over 5'4" must feel like in there.
Pretty solid, dependable thai food. I usually get delivery, as the seating is a bit cramped. The delivery is free and fast. A bit pricier than comparable thai places in the area (such as Beyond Thai). The standard sautee' dishes (Shrimp Basil, Beef w/ Garlic, etc.) are good but nothing extraordinary. The specialties are better, but run about $14-$17. I recommend the Salt & Pepper Shrimp. Comes with a decent quantity of well-spiced shrimp, sauteed in a sightly spicy sauce with bell peppers, leeks, onions, and shallots.
Overall a good Thai place. As far as food quality/consistency, one of the top Thai places in the village. Dine-in service when it is busy can be spotty, and it can get really cramped in the dining room. I suggest the dependable delivery service, and taking advantage of the $7-$8 lunch specials.
Galanga Thai is a terrific place for lunchtime delivery, as the food is reasonable and the service is quick. Unfortunately, they make it hard for corporate orders by not accepting credit cards.
My coworkers and I were craving Thai, and Galanga had been on my "must go-to" list, so I arranged an order. We started with the Sweet Corn Fritters, which I found had an overly intense corn flavor that masked the cilantro pesto included in the crisp cake. On the other hand, the Jeeb Dumplings were a well-seasoned blend of steamed chicken, prawns, and cubed water chestnuts, all wrapped in delicate wonton pastry. The Duck Basil Spring Rolls were decent and served with a tangy pineapple dipping sauce. The $6.95 lunch special is a fantastic deal, offering a soup or salad, plus a main dish (some with rice). I opted for the salad with what turned out to be a slightly watery peanut dressing. My main dish of Chicken Pad See Ew (the dish I base most Thai restaurants by) was topped with a perfectly balanced sweet soy sauce.
I would love to try this place again, only this time I would prefer to dine in the restaurant and get the full Galanga experience.
Saturday night dinner was set in the normal size cramped Manhattan Thai restaurant located in Greenwich Village. The place was about half full, and I was seated next to the brick wall, as opposed to the booth on the opposite side or the long table in the center. I wish I had requested the booth because I felt a draft each time the door opened.
I started with the Galanga Ice Tea, sake with lime juice and mint leaves. Next came the appetizers. I ordered the Corn Fritters. Five corn fritters arrived on a small plate with a purple flower in the corner. The taste was similar to a corn empanada; fried on the outside with a sweet doughy mixture of corn on the inside, very good. For dinner, I had the Pad Thai with Vegetarian Duck. I might have ventured outside my Thai food staple but did not due to a sense of urgency on the part of the server.
The food was your typical Thai food. Vegetarian Duck tends to be hit or miss, but I enjoyed it at Galanga. The rest of the pad thai was average. With the exception of the Vegetarian Duck, the dish was lacking in flavor. I ended up adding too much chili sauce and burnt off half my taste buds in the process. In addition, each time I took a bite, I felt something crunchy. This is highly unusual for a platter of pad thai.
The entire meal felt rushed. I did not have time to delve into the menu and see what else was available because the server kept bothering us. We got there late in the evening, so I am not sure if the restaurant was near closing time, despite several other people arriving after us. The prices are reasonable (on average about $10 per plate and $8 per drink).
There is one bathroom located in the basement. The restaurant has your dimly lit, slightly romantic vibe to it. Unfortunately, I was too irritated by the draft coming from the door, the urgency of the server, and my roasting taste buds to notice.
I have enjoyed much better Thai food in the city without feeling rushed at about the same price. Save your money on this one.
I just wanted to put a recent review for Galanga at 149 West 4th near 6th Ave. This place is fantastic. The prices are good and the food is great. My friend recommended this place on a whim when we wanted a good, inexpensive meal. The papaya salad and the summer rolls apps were crisp, fresh and delicious. The papaya salad had great kick! You have to be ok with some serious heat to get this! The summer rolls were sweet and crisp, like a cross between great fresh spring rolls and a vegetarian sushi roll (with cucumber instead of Nori).
For dinner I had some of the best Drunken noodles (and spiciest, only 9 bucks) that I have had in years! My friends had 2 different dishes from the "Wok" portion of the menu that they both loved (also 9 bucks) and there was probably enough for 1 and 1/2 meals on their plates.
The cinnamon-soy sauce noodle soup with duck breast is so flavorful and unique that you will remember the dish long after you have been to Galanga.
This is a surefire winner if you like legit Thai food with some real heat! We ate, drank, and still got out of there for 20 per person (with tip).
P.S. This was a Chowhound post that I edited and posted here. Hope thats OK with the Yelpers.
This place has pretty solid Thai food for NY. (What can I say? I've been spoiled by phenomenal Thai food in MA/IL/Thailand.)
That said... service here was 'meh.' Didn't seem like the servers understood the groove of dining and couldn't dance to the right tune. Hovered over me as I sat down, took off my coat. Didn't leave until I asked them to give me a few minutes to look over the menu. Came back every 2 minutes, staring at me like a specter from afar. Finally, when I was ready to order, they milled about the restaurant taking everyone's order but mine. Sigh.
Food came relatively quick. It was a Tom Yum Noodle Soup, but didn't quite do it for me. Like a gift I never asked for and didn't quite know what to do with, just accepted the fact that I won't be blown away by it.
Still searching for that Thai restaurant in New York, which, hopefully, one day I will find. But perhaps I'll find Prince Charming and his unicorn first.
There's nothing that amazing about galanga but that is why I like it so much. I usually come here for lunch, and its one of those places where you don't feel like a loser because you happen to be eating alone. I bring a book and enjoy 45 minutes of complete relaxation.
The service is prompt, but not too in your face. They are very laid back, and I like that during lunch.
The place is quiet too. One time a couple came in and the boyfriend was in the process of breaking up with his girlfriend. She was crying and I could hear everything they were saying. I wasn't eavesdropping....I just couldn't help myself. All I'm saying is, she should have known he was gay. I could smell his homosexuality over the stench of my soup (which comes free with any lunch entree).
They don't take cards, so make sure to bring cash with you.
I give them three stars because I think thats all they want. They aren't trying to be this amazing thai place. Just a place where you can have a three star lunch on a three star day.
This is my favorite Thai place in the city. It's very small but they have a long bench table in the middle of the restaurant so you sometimes sit grouped with others. The pad thai is good, and they have a bigger selection of appetizers than most small Thai places. The red curry is served with a generous rice portion, and it was very smooth, not grainy like I've found at other places. If you ask for spicy, they'll make it really, REALLY spicy. Even though it's small, I really like the decor, it feels very homey. Also, they're cash only.
You know the phrase: "It was good but I've had better"? That goes triple for the food at Galanga. The presentation, however, is absolutely beautiful, as is the restaurant.
Just a note: real tables would be appreciated, and while I know there were 6 of us, a picnic bench was not necessary. I don't want to flash the whole restaurant when trying to get in my seat. Thanks.
Cute place, decent prices, good food--and they were cool enough to let us occupy a large table even though we were still waiting for a few of our party of 6.
Galanga & their standard Thai dishes delivered exactly what my friends and I were looking for on our weeknight visit--tasty Thai food with a kick (mmm, green curry) in a laid-back setting for an affordable price. If I lived in the 'hood, this might be my go-to Thai joint when I get that curry craving... which is all too often, I fear. At least at Galanga, it'd be an affordable habit.
This is a small little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that I would not have picked out had it not been for my cousins recommendation. The menu wasn't huge but the food was delicious for the price. This was my best and cheapest meal in NYC! The restaurant itself is very small as well so I wouldn't recommend trying to go here with a big group but it seemed like a perfectly great place to take a date or go with a small group of friends. Cash only but there are 5 different banks around the corner.
I also loved the fact that they had a drink called sake-bomb on the menu. It's insinuated that if they have sake and beer on the menu that you can make sake bombs right?
I only ever eat pad thai at thai restaurants. I don't care what you think. The pad thai here was okay. I've had better, but I can't really explain why, and I don't really know what's authentic or whatever but I like it when it's sweeter. Also, the shrimp was overcooked. which makes me angry. also, portions were kind of small. I wanted a huge mass of pad thai because I was really hungry. I didn't get that. also pricey.
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Neighborhood: Theater District
Just for Yelpers!
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: West Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Category: Thai
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