My friend Babs raved about a new Thai restaurant in my hood, serving the food of Bangkok. On her recommendation, I met a friend for lunch in their airy, spacious dining room, allowing for easy conversation.

Those who’ve been to Thailand might recognize the orange vests sported by the serving staff, similar to the delivery cyclists on Bangkok streets. They not only brighten the atmosphere but allow you to ID a server quickly.


We started with the crispy chicken curry roti flatbread, cut into quarters and served with a sweet cucumber dipping sauce ($16) while we looked over the menu.

Afterward, we shared Bangkok’s most famous street dish, Krapow Moo Sub ($22), with only two stars indicating medium spicy. This dish is a heaping pile of spicy ground pork flavored with lime leaves and chilies with white rice topped with a fried egg, crispy around the edges so the runny yellow yolk flavor the rice. Thank goodness the rice balances out the heat, as it would have been a tad too hot for spice-lovin’ me.

We also ordered one of their lunch specials, which meant we got a lightly dressed salad with our entree of their pad Thai ($22), a combo of rice noodles, string beans, radishes and onions in a tamarind sauce topped with prawns.

A serving of their Thai coconut pudding ($12) comes with four teeny little bowls garnished with corn—a nice ending to a spice-filled meal.

I recommend it, as the service, atmosphere, food and-amazingly even the noise level- are all good.

Pranakhon Thai Restaurant
88 University Pl
New York, NY 10003
(212) 786-6789
pranakhonnyc.com