11 Best Restaurants in New York City, New York

There are plenty of great Thai restaurants in Elmhurst, but this oft-packed spot tops them all (in fact, it's opened a branch in Manhattan's Chelsea Market). Operating out of two side-by-side storefronts (you go wherever there's a table), Ayada serves fiery, flavorful Thai favorites, as well as some dishes you've probably never heard of before. A favorite appetizer is raw shrimp served with a slice of garlic, bitter melon, and chili paste that will knock your socks off. The e-sarn sausage (made with fermented meat) is served with sliced ginger and peanuts, and, for a table of four, the succulent whole fried fish is a bargain.

Seafood, spicy, and sharing plates are the key concepts at this convivial and colorful Thai restaurant, where the dishes aren't what you find on typical Thai restaurant menus. Order for the table and if you like spice, make sure to include the Zabb wings to start and move on to the coconut crab curry, among other things.

The New York outpost of Andy Ricker’s famed Portland, Oregon restaurant continues to serve delicious Thai food that goes well beyond the dishes typically found on menus here. Knockouts include the pork belly and pork curry, the boar collar, the wings, and the papaya salad, but it’s hard to go wrong—and the servers give excellent guidance.

The name of this standout Thai restaurant is pronounced "sood," and translates to "recipe"—highlighting the fact that the menu is based on family recipes from around Thailand. This also means that, while familiar dishes like pad Thai are on offer, there are lots of items that might be unfamiliar and are definitely worth trying, like the koong karee (a creamy shrimp and egg curry), the flaky fried puff pastry stuffed with flavor-popping minced pork, and the caramelized duck noodles.

A long-beloved, cash-only Thai option, SriPraPhai (pronounced "see-PRA-pie") has a huge main menu as well as an equally expansive one for vegetarians. Although it's hard to go wrong, good bets include the crispy watercress salad, larb (ground pork salad with mint and lime juice), sautéed chicken with cashews and pineapple, kao-soy (curried egg noodles), or roast-duck green curry. If you go with a few people, order the delicately flavored whole steamed fish. But prepare your palate: your mouth might feel like a five-alarm fire by the time you're finished. In summer, the lovely back patio strung with lights somehow feels like a perfect setting for the spicy fare.

Thai restaurants come and go, but this one has stayed, in large part due to its authentic tastes and no-frills prices, including a two-course prix-fixe lunch (appetizer and shrimp, chicken, or beef main) for under $12. The decor is no-frills contemporary, allowing the food to shine.  Adventure beyond pad Thai to explore curries and lemongrass-scented meat, fish, and noodle dishes. Save room for green tea ice cream or paper-thin crepes slathered with green tea custard.

At this dimly lit but boisterous branch of a restaurant based in Bangkok, the namesake somtum, a palate-tingling green papaya salad, is the must-order dish. Other good dishes to share include the larb moo, a mound of minced pork mixed with veggies and chilies, the skewers of pork marinated in coconut milk, and the crispy fried chicken.

The kitschy decor, colorful diner-esque menu, and trendy patrons will quickly cue you into the fact that this is no ordinary Thai restaurant: the food is slightly off-kilter, in a good way, and the vibe is playful. The food is a combination of creative interpretations of Thai dishes and American diner classics, with an emphasis on fried chicken.

The northern side of the peninsula doesn't get nearly enough love, but Thai Rock is here to change that. The menu is pretty solid but standard, with your usual noodle dishes, spring rolls, and satays, but no matter: you're here for the cocktails at sunset, with views of Jamaica Bay and the Cross Bay Bridge, as well as the frequent live music (check the website for dates).