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Astor Place (6)
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
8th St-Broadway (R, W)
Mon-Thu. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
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I really enjoy this small and quaint Thai spot right in the heart of the east village. Prices are very affordable and the service is excellent. There are discounted specials on multiple appetizers so it is a great option for a group of friends to sample numerous items. Really enjoyed the curry puffs and spring rolls. The pad thai was extremely good and the curry dishes had sufficient spice. Having travelled to Thailand myself, I really enjoy this place. With its affordable prices, definitely worth a visit.
I had the chicken yellow curry and it was on point. It was somewhat hotter than what you usually find at American Thai restaurants -- but that's a plus for me.
It's not the kind of place that you need to go out of your way to try, but I'd go back there for an inexpensive dinner.
I used to order Thai from a place a few doors down on SeamlessWeb. My order would arrive 15 minutes later at my door. Their lunch special was sized largely and well priced. Two years into the relationship, I found a foreign object in my food... I just can't order from there for a while.
I decided to try out Thailand Cafe. Not impressed. They never bothered to show the deliveryman the delivery instructions (why bother then). My buzzer often requires more explanation. I'm not happy about paying tip and not getting it delivered up. Next, on to the food. The spring rolls were the worst thing I tasted. I could only eat half. I'm Asian and something just smelled off. The fried tofu was ok. I got the pad see ewe/drunken noodles and spicy basil fried rice. The pad see ewe was pretty bland, slightly flavored but had a kick. The spicy basil friend rice wasn't that spicy and I'm a lightweight when it comes to spicy food... so that says a lot. Portions weren't that big. You get a lot more rice than noodles.
Not ordering from here again.
Empty,
Though going here around 2pm is a good idea, the food comes out fairly quck, it is priced not to bad for the meal. The music is kind of weird and makes you feel like your in a lounge but not really b/c of decore.
The waiter is less then pleasent to talk to but he gets his job done so no complaints there. The lunch special comes with an apitaizer, though i think i woudl skip tha tnext time and just go to the man course.
The pad thai is not to bad , taste pritty good, though i would try something else next time i would not say it is a spot iw ould like to come to at night b/c it seems like they are busy and the service might be lacking.
The desert was not the bst thing in the world though it is not bad, i dont know if it was worth the 5$ for it. There is not much possitive and not much negative to say it just is and i dont know if i would die to go back, but i might go back.
I probably have been here about 15 time since I first went this summer. the food is really good- but I especially like the Green Curry Salmon with coconut rice and the Basil Salmon. Yummmy Yummy. But what puts the icing on the fucking cake is there all you can drink special for $15 buck- and their cocktails are awesome!!! I think I might go this week again lol
I love this place. five dollar lychee mojitos are definitely a good draw! they have decent drinks here, on the stronger side. as for the food, delish. great appetizer specials, and quick service. i order from here sometimes too and they always delivery quickly. portions are great for the price.
This place has become my local Thai spot...I'll stop in for lunch after class, grab take out on my way home from work, or come here in the evening with friends. It's low key, cute, decently priced, and delicious....if you're looking for a solid Thai place with a nice ambience, great food, and yummy drinks, this is your place!
This place is cheap and easy for lunch. I'm a bit put off after reading the review by the person who… Read more »
Goodness, I remember eating here, but I don't remember how the food taste. What I did like was the look, a mix of old and modern. i love their stool outside that was my first draw to it. Oh and of course the cheap lunch special sign.
PROS:
1. less crowd , lot of air to breath ..
2. less congested and enough distance between the tables and your neighbours
3. superb food styling
4. neat and modern interior
5. cheap?? well that depends on what you order...
6. friendly waitress
CONS:
1. food dint taste anything that great.. just so-so
2. food was less in quantity (except for pad thai) . imagine after having waited for 20 minutes , in the end we were so disappointed to see a very tiny bowl of rice with twice its size of chicken basil curry being placed on our table. this left us confused as to what took them so much time to get something if it was this simple. so within an hour after having our lunch we were hungry again..
The $5 Lychee Mojitos are DELISH!!!
Very affordable, good food. Came here for lunch one day, and the place was practically empty. The food was really good though. Had the pad thai and enjoyed the taste for the price.
I don't know why a place called Thailand Cafe can be any good, but i'm telling you this place has the best Tom Yum soup-- way better than Why Curry?
Besides the soup, chicken with cashews is great, but pretty basic. I haven't experimented with anything more exotic. The cuisine is general Thai, not focused on a specific region. Not sure about MSG content.
My friend got sick eating the octopus here- beware.
Probably some of the worst Thai food I have had.
I also lived above the place - and furthered my reasons for dislike. These reasons being the fact that that building was infested with mice & rats and also had a small epidemic of giant cockroaches. It also housed a distinct nauseating stench of Thai food and dead rat.
Cheap it is however, I would not go there if you paid me.
I live on the same block as Thailand, and probably come here twice a week. That being said, most of the time I don't order any food...the five dollar lychee mojitos are definitely the draw! Many a night of drunken debauchery has started with one (or a few). They are delicious and strong. Other mixed drinks were pretty good as well, but I just can't stop getting the lychee.
I've tried a couple of things from the food menu, and they were all strongly in the "good" category, especially for the prices. My favorite appetizer is the calamari, and my favorite entree is the pad se eiu. The satae and pad thai are pretty good, too. Presentation is always well-executed.
I think the people who work there are super friendly and cute. They always remember me and even comment when I get haircuts! They are also really good about keeping you with a drink in hand.
The atmosphere is laid-back and chill--there is no "scene," which makes it a perfect place to get together with anyone, anytime. The decor is nice, and they even have a little lounge-like area for those with big groups who are there mostly for drinks.
The lunch special is a really really good deal, with an appetizer, entree, and free tea for $6 (and free wifi!).
Went here with my friend for dinner. We were walking by and thought it looked pretty cool so we stopped and checked it out. We were both disappointed.
She ordered the coconut chicken. It wasn't anything special. A bit of coconut baked on top of the chicken. It tasted good, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I ordered the Pineapple chicken. It was a bowl of rice with some chicken added in and a few pieces of pineapple for good measure. Again, nothing special. Disappointing. The drinks were tasty, but I'm sure we won't be back. Thought it would be better due to the Yelp sign I immediately noticed in the entrance.
It felt a bit clubbish inside as well.
Oh well. Can't love every place in the city.
I went here on Monday for lunch. I started off with the house dumpling and had the green curry with pork for the entree.
The house dumplings, 4 in total, were beautifully presented on a traditional white restaurant plate adorned sparingly with a nice accompanying sauce. The pork in the dumplings was well seasoned, and the dumplings themselves had a nice consistency and were not too heavy. The sauce was bolder than I expected and complemented the dumplings well. I was very impressed with this appetizer.
For the entree, the curry was very nicely done. In addition to the pork it contained bamboo shoots, eggplant, and rice was served on the side. The entree was good but not great.
All in all, this is a very nice Thai restaurant offering good dishes at affordable prices. It is not nearly as good as Pam's Real Thai, but it is fairly good otherwise. A good lunch spot.
(See my pictures)
I discovered this place on SeamlessWeb and it's become my go-to takeout Thai place, mostly because I'm half a block outside of Cafetasia's delivery zone now. The rice noodle dishes are good, and delivery is quick and efficient. Most of the time, they show up much quicker than the SeamlessWeb estimate, which I think is 25-30 minutes.
I've never eaten at the actual restaurant, so I can't speak to that experience, but based on food alone, it's pretty great.
Went here with the group of perverted friends today after a trip to the Museum of Sex. Exciting, yes. We all agreed on Thai food, so this was the cheapest place we could find after a long walk from 27th street and an insatiable desire to visit the East Village.
Tasty food...though the decor is a bit clubby.
I went here recently with the boyfriend for dinner. We were there about 730, and there was no wait! (Come about an hour or so later, and you will be waiting though.)
The food was delicious and spicy. I had the fried tofu appetizer and the larb (I think!) chicken salad. Both I would eat again in a heart beat. Their Thai Iced Tea is one of the better mixes. (I have a Thai Iced Tea obsession.) The food came out in a timely matter and my water class never wavered below "half."
Some live Jazz comes on around 8 or 9, and it was pretty good - played well but you could still hold a conversation without shouting.
And, ah, the bathrooms were decent. I would not be afraid to use them again.
Nice thai restaurant, with well made dishes at resonable prices. The food was well made and nicely presented. I had a Ginger and shrimp dish. There may have been too many strips of fresh ginger in my dish, but overall it was very well made. The fried tofu was spectacular- with the perfect amount of crunch and a yummy dipping sauce. They have a good selection of drinks, including some rather different concoctions. and they even have live Jazz on Wednesday nights. Their stage is so small, I don't know how they fit a band there- but the band was tasteful and not overpowering- a rarity for a restaurant who wants to dabble in live music.
The only thing that I can take point out that was not positive was the service. It was slow and generally inattentive. It was one of those restaurants where even though its packed and there's people waiting for a table, they're completely oblivious to you having been done for 15 minutes and well into that point where you're thinking "check please."
but all in all, I'd definitely come back.
Nothing great about this place, but nothing that awful either. I ordered the drunken noodle with chicken. This confused me though, as I thought that the concept behind the drunken noodle entree was that the chef was drunk and threw a lot of random ingredients into the dish. Having the only option as chicken thus doesn't jive with what I consider the dish to be. But, they didn't consult me before putting on the menu, so I'll move on.
The portion of the meal was also pretty small. That or I was really hungry. Both are very possible.
Also, on a Monday night there was a live jazz band. While nice in concept, it meant that all of a sudden, my group ate in relative silence, because having a cross-table conversation was just about impossible.
The appetizers are so much better than the entrees, which are hit-or-miss. The duck is really good, but the rice is alright. Portions are sufficient and the staff is OK. It seems like the restaurant is always trying to reinvent itself to attract customers. I do like that they will go out of their way to do that, though. Sometimes, the wait is too long.
It was good, but nothing special.
I would go back because there was no wait at 8pm on a weeknight and because the peanut sauce was thick and yummy and had chopped peanuts all up in it.
The Curry puffs appetizer was very good, although the spring rolls were not that great and tasted like they were just defrosted in the microwave. The drunken noodles with chicken was also quite awesome, but the shrimp pad thai left something to be desired.
They also have a good selection of fruity drinks and Thai beers.
Overall a nice place and would go back, but would not sit at the tables on the side since they are not made for tall people (too short)
anyone see the new Thailand Cafe face lift yet? It must have been pretty recent because when i went in there today (10/22/07) i could still smell the fresh paint even with whole front side door panel open!
It went from traditional thai to bangkok bold with its contrasting solid colors and brand new full bar! now stacked with liquor, we can expect stronger drinks, longer nights and cuter girls! joking aside, their menu also got a slight face lift with new items on it, leaving all to ponder, 'do we want to go to sea again?"
only time can tell.
This place is under new management since the fall - and the improvement is enormous. I live around the corner, and used to lament there was no decent Thai in all the East Village. Yes, the closest you could come to it is Pongsri at 19th and 2nd (Gramercy) and no they don't deliver this far.
The food is genuine Thai, so there are some strange combinations that I've never come across in americanized Thai places. They have an enormous breadth of appetizers: my personal rec - the Chive Dumplings, yes they are fried and dark green, but they are addictive. Also, their green curries are out of this world. There are some odd but good curries, which are very "thai" in their stylings - duck and avocado apple green curry. I wouldn't judge this place by their Pad Thai; given that I'm Chinese, i would never judge the authenticity of the menu food by how good their Lo Mein is, even though I love Pad Thai. For the best Pad Thai, I love the place in the Chelsea Market (name?? i forget). BTW, all their entrees are build it with the protein of your choice, and seitan or tofu is available for all of them - in case you are or are dining with vegetarians, this is a nice option to have.
I took off a star because sometimes their takeout/delivery service is weird. Twice I've either ordered to pick up or deliver, and when something is not quite right, they were very rude, and I had to fight with them over something like not including the Iced Teas, but insisting they gave it to me when I picked it up. But I have never had a bad experience with them when dining in....?!
I come here at least twice a week for the last two years, since I work around there. Lunch special is a MUST, you get great food for a low price. Ad if you come between 4- 7 (happy hours) Mon- Fri, all you can drink for $15, and I mean all you can drinks, Chang beer and cocktails. Appetizers are great; my favs are spring roll and house dumpling. I heard that they makes them themselves. Talk about homemade. Entrees - seriously recommend pad see ew and steam tilapia in lime sauce (the fish is not part of lunch special, but its worth the price). The place is clean minus few fruit fly here and there, however no seriously pests spotted (mice or cockroaches).
Definitely will go back
Pretty decent place.
Carolyn, previous post yelper, I was there that same night, though slightly earlier 8pm-ish, and was drawn to the place for the same reason.
The famous Thai restaurant nearby was too crowded and I couldn't wait any longer after my 3000 mi flight so we (2 hungry boys and I) settled for this cute place.
I was very happy with what we ordered:
Spring rolls
Shrimp Fried Rice
Chicken Vegetable dish
Curry dish
Fried green tea ice cream
Mango and sweet rice with coconut sauce
Would go again, but probably won't because I don't live in NYC.
I ended up here on a Saturday night after refusing to wait 45 mins for a table at SEA...which was packed to the gills and so loud you would have had to shout to be heard.
Didn't expect much from the look of the place, but was pleasantly surprised. Good service, CHEAP food and lots of it...had the pad thai (boring yes but an easy way to judge a thai place in one dish) and it was very solid. Total bill for 4 beers, 1 app, 2 entrees AND desert: $44.
Pretty solid if you arent looking for ambiance and want some good thai food cheap. Cool area too. Went across the street for mojitos at Candela Candela after, which had all the ambiance we could handle.
This is closer to 3.5 stars. I decided on the low score just because I didn't really try any entrees.
I decided to visit NY randomly this summer and although we tried yelping some dinner places we ended up just wandering around to see what could catch our eye. I'm not too keen on eating at Thai restaurants when I'm out of town just because I'm Thai and I feel like I should be eating something different for once. But I could not resist the little sign that said, "$5 Lychee Mojitos" outside of Thailand Cafe. So we came here for some drinks and apps and they were fine with that. Mojitos were deeelish. Really, I just like any drink with lychee though.
As for the apps, we got some edamame and calamari. This place really got me hooked on the edamame and wanting more. Every Japanese restaurant I go to now, I must order me some edamame. It was perfectly heated and well-seasoned. Although I don't recall too well, I'm pretty sure the calamari was good as well.
I may or may not be back here, but this place was worth remembering.
I also remember it being very dark and had a loungy feeling to it. Weird for a restaurant. Not really getting what direction they were going for
oh, I'd also like to note that the couple next to us brought their own bottle of wine. The owner just came over and gave them too glasses and opened it for them. I'm not sure if it's something anyone can do or if this couple was special. They seemed like regulars..
The food is ho.rri.ble. I'd rather eat microwaveable frozen food.
We only went in because of the free wine and 2-for-1 Singha special, 4-8 pm.
After a long morning of walking in the rain, I stumbled upon this small, hip Thai joint. I ordered from the lunch specials and couldn't have been happier. The peanut dumpling was flavorful and fresh. My main dish was one of the basil dishes - yummy.
The prices are great and the service is good.
Only two problems. First, I ordered my dish hot and emphasized hot. Unfortunately, it fell short. Second, the tea was just average.
Nice decor with good artwork. Lots of locals.
I love this place and will be back.
I've been a long time customer of Thailand Cafe, until about a month ago when I was walking by and thought it had been replaced by a new, shiny, hiply lit place. Then I realized it was a facelift for the old Thailand Cafe, so I checked it out.
The food is still good and the prices are the same, but the portions are undoubtedly smaller. The decor before was awesome - lots of wood paneling, very laid back. But now it looks a hell of a lot like Sea Thai, which is disappointing.
I won't be going back, but I will miss the Thailand Cafe of yesteryear.
I think Thailand Cafe absorbs all the Sea overflow. I wanted to eat at Sea but was annoyed that we had to wait over 30 minutes for a table on a weekday, so we headed over here.
I'm kind of ignorant when it comes to Thai food, and so I think that there's a ceiling that Thai food can reach. Thailand Cafe falls somewhere below that ceiling, but I thought that the food here was decent. It's really hard to mess up pad thai anyway.
No wait, no crowds, acceptable Thai food, cheap prices.
This isn't the best Thai food I've ever had, but it WAS the cheapest. My friend and I split the 4 entrees for $15 and a side of edamame. $10/person for din? Yes please! Highlights included the Bikini shrimp (shrimp wrapped in a spring roll and served with honey chili sauce) and the fried tofu. The spring roll and veggie dumpling were pretty standard, but still tasty. I'll return!
My boyfriend and I found Thailand Cafe by mistake, on our first night in New York. We had just dropped off our bags at the place we were staying at around the corner and were in need and searching for some good food, fast. We figured being in East Village, it wouldn't be too much of a challenge.
We came across Thailand Cafe and thought why the hell not. It was less than a block away from where we were staying. Plus, we both love thai food.
I had the number 33 (peanut curry noodle with chicken) and split the crispy spring rolls with the boyfriend. My boyfriend had the number 45 (yellow curry with chicken over rice).
We both agreed that we couldn't have picked a better place to have our first meal in the Big Apple. And the price was right. We loved this place so much, we came back twice during our stay. One of the best places we have ever "stumbled" upon.
I was lured into the bar at Thailand Cafe on a Saturday night by a sandwich board on the sidewalk advertising $5 lychee mojitos. Those just sounded too good to pass up, and I was glad I didn't because they were fabulous.
I sat at the bar and the bartenders were friendly and attentive - I even got some extra lychees in a shot glass when one noticed me trying to dig the fruit out of my glass with a straw! Even though there were seats at the bar around 11pm, the dining room seemed to be full.
I can't speak for the food, but I'd definitely recommend stopping in to Thailand Cafe for a lychee mojito.
We went to this place after reading other Yelp reviews. It gives the appearance of a cheesy nightclubby bar, but it is actually family friendly. We got there around 9, as the last customer was about to leave. By the time we left at 10:20 there were 15 or 16 customers in the restaurant. including several children! the Lychee Mojitos were fab. The appetizers especially were dynamite -- crispy, delicious, different. The curry was deep and simmery. The rice delicious. Highly recommended.
For some reason, last Friday everyone in the group of friends i was going out with wanted thai for dinner. Never happened before. I usually prefer a burger before a bar night... Anyway, after stumbling along second avenue for a while, we stopped by this place. Why? Because they had a big sign by the door, saying that with every beer you get an order of thai hot wings. Now, two things come to mind when you see a deal like that: either the wings are not too good, or the beer is 7-8 bucks. Regardless, we went it. Let me tell you, a bottle of beer is five bucks, and the wings are delicious (much much better than a bite of boneless hot wings i had from a friend's plate at a bar a few hours before dinner.)
They have a full bar along with beers, so I ordered a vodka tonic. As far as I remember it was seven or so. Large glass, strong drink, just the way I like it. Everyone's meal at the table was good. Portions are not too big, which is great, because I hate getting an enormous plate of food and feeling absolutely stuffed at the end of the meal. Definitely worth the price.
The ambiance of the place is pleasant. Nice decor, great mellow jazz in the background (i was surprised at first, but somehow thai food and jazz seems to be working out well..)
The service is pretty attentive, very thorough with your order. And whenever we needed something, the second one of us looked towards the kitchen, someone would run out and ask what we needed. Very friendly. I'm going back there tonight.
five dollar lychee mojitos.
got that?
okay, i will say it again.
five dollar lychee mojitos.
yum, yum, and yum. (yes, i had 3)
food was good too.
had the mango salad and the drunken noodle with chicken.
all very good and fresh.
left happy with a full belly.
will be back, most likely with a crave for those...
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: Greenwich Village
Category: Thai
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