Thai Diner

“Enjoyed this place so much we went right back the next day. The cheessteak was one of the best I've ever had. It started true to what makes a Philly cheessteak a homerun (ribeye, melted cheese sauce and a good roll) but with the addition of Thai basil, chilis and garlic that elevated the flavor and spice without making it something else. French toast was unique and delicious. Build your own spring rolls hit. Would definitely recommend and go back to try other things.”

“I ended up at Thai Diner after wandering around Nolita for a while and looking for somewhere that felt casual but memorable. The place was busy without feeling chaotic, and once the food started arriving I understood why people keep coming back. I started with the khao soi, which came out steaming hot with a rich curry broth and noodles that somehow stayed perfectly textured all the way through the meal. It was comforting without feeling heavy. I also ordered the Thai disco fries because they sounded too interesting to pass up. They were crispy underneath and covered with a flavorful curry sauce that made them disappear much faster than expected. The chicken satay had a nice char from the grill and paired well with the peanut sauce, while the roti was soft and perfect for scooping up every bit of curry left on the plate. What I liked most was that nothing felt overly complicated. The flavors were bold but approachable, and every dish felt like something you would happily order again. By the end of the meal I was already looking around at other tables wondering what I should try next time.”

“While visiting NY, our daughter wanted to have lunch with our niece at a Thai restaurant, I and my wife just followed. It's a very crowded place and people are waiting for a long time. We had to wait so I went to get some coffee. No drinks from outside, so when the time for us to sit, I had to stayed outside to finish my just bought coffee before coming in. The restaurant is packed and the tables are small but very cozy IMHO. Again, my daughter ordered everything. I was just there to eat. The service is quite fast and attentive because people are waiting outside, although they don't rush us to finish our lunch. All the dishes are very tasty and excellent, the portions are not bad. The lobster fettuccine is excellent, very flavorful. The coconut chicken is different and good too. The Green curry fried rice is very delicious. All the dishes in this restaurant are very tasty and the prices are reasonable, no wonder the restaurant is so crowded. I'm not crazy about Thai cuisine, but this one is not really traditional Thai to me, so I really liked it. We will come back here next time we visit our daughter.”

“If you ever loved Uncle Boons, Thai Diner will definitely feel familiar—but it doesn’t quite hit the same highs. Service was fast and attentive, which set a great tone, but the food ended up being pretty hit or miss. The som tum salad was a standout and easily one of the best things on the menu—bright, balanced, and genuinely exciting. The crab fried rice had excellent texture and plenty of fresh crab, but the flavor just didn’t have that same depth Boons used to deliver. The mussels and fries were a mixed bag: fries were perfectly seasoned and crisp, and the mussels were clean, but the sauce felt one-note and the sweet pickled onions threw the whole dish off. The fried snapper was cooked well but leaned overly sweet—I’d definitely order the sauce on the side next time so it doesn’t overpower everything. The accompanying rice was a miss: under-seasoned, mushy, and mixed with large pieces of herbs and cucumbers that didn’t quite work due to the texture of the rice. The spicy tamarind margarita also skewed too sweet. That said, the coconut sundae was incredible and honestly worth coming back for on its own. Overall, I’d come back for the nostalgia (and dessert).”

“drunken dumplings 4/5 - dipping sauce was to die for, so flavorful and had a spicy kick to it! phat thai w/chicken 5/5 - cant go wrong with a classic, right amount of tamarind sauce so the noodles weren’t dry at all (though they could have given us half a lime not barely 1/4 of it) panang neuh 5/5 - braised beef was soooo tender, curry was so yummy though my friend found it a bit salty but would def recommend and get again, a must have!! cheesesteak phat bai horapha w/fries 2/5 - probably wouldnt order this again… was thrilled at first to make it before the cut off time to order this but (saying this as a big lover of cheese) the one they used made this overly salty and hard to eat… had about 1-2 bites before i set it to the side, removed the contents and ended up pairing it with the white rice from the panang neuh to dilute the saltiness of it. loved the fries though, were very crispy! aside from the food, cant say too much about the atmosphere from INSIDE the actual diner, I understand adding a secondary attachment to the business to being able to serve more customers but it was 18 degrees outside when we went. We got seated on the outside attachment near the windows and had to keep our coats on with how much draft air was coming in, noted about 3 or so space heaters on the roof but could barely feel them working at all especially when you aren’t seated under one. Also note the lack of space between each table and the servers having to wait at the end of the row because there was only enough room for people to leave in a single file line (all while having to make sure that none of their garments aren’t accidentally ending up in your food as they’re leaving or arriving). This caused them to barely notice when we had to set plates to the side and stack them so we had more room on our table, (also note again if you are seated at a table for 2 you have to play tetris to have multiple plates fit on such a small table). Or when we were ready for the check (couldnt flag someone down to come/took a while for them to finally ring us up). Would definitely come again to try their other dishes but maybe during the warmer months or if they’re able to seat us inside next time/come during a slower period. :)”