Must Try Thai restaurants in Queens, New York
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I love spicy Thai food! I ate entirely too much of it back in college that my doctor asked me to stop as it started to trigger abdominal pain…wait, or was it the weekend drinking with friends? Hmmm, anyway, I am doing better now and have been enjoying spicy food in moderation. The following 3 restaurants are mine and my fiance’s favorite Thai restaurants in Queens, NY. As soon as outdoor dining was allowed, we carefully enjoyed dining at these establishments.
SriPraPhai – Thai Restaurant Cash Only
64-13 39th Avenue, Woodside, NY 11377
Tel: 718-899-9599
Open 6 Days 11:30 am – 8:15 pm
Closed Wednesday
As you enter, you’ll see all sorts of desserts and savory snacks in to-go containers in the fridge to the right. We usually buy these when we are about to leave. There is plenty of indoor seating so you and your friends can have a much needed get together here. To the back is a beautiful garden with all sorts of plants, (planted, potted, and hanging), flowers, and even a fountain. A big portion of the tables are covered just in case it rains. Service is fast, and the staff is friendly. Eating while surrounded by plants reminds me of the jungle looking coffee shop we visited in Bali.
Now the food…yum! Start with the spicy papaya salad and fried shredded taro and peanuts, and the classic tom yum soup. For the entree, you cannot go wrong with roasted duck with Chinese watercress over coconut rice, or really, any duck on the menu. We also like the sauteed crispy pork belly with chili, garlic, and basil leaves. They have all the colored curries you can think of. We tend to order duck and pork belly. They do have multiple types of meat, seafood, and veggie selections. Their menu is extensive and can satisfy many different palates. If you work around the area, they have a lunch menu that offers appetizers, soup, and a main dish. Wash it all down with Thai iced tea with tapioca pearls or Thai iced coffee. For dessert, try something different besides ice cream and get their stuffed sweet rice flour with mung bean, coconut meat, sugar, and sesame. Bring extra cash because you’ll probably order more than you expect. We’ve celebrated birthdays, holidays, and brought out-of-towners to this place. The restaurant industry no doubt suffered this year and we’re glad that SriPraPhai survived.
Kin’d Restaurant
192-03 Union Tpke, Fresh Meadows, NY 11366
718-468-0888
MONDAY – THURSDAY 12:00pm – 9:45pm
FRIDAY – SATURDAY 12:00pm – 10:45pm
SUNDAY 12:00pm – 9:45pm
This restaurant is close to St. John’s University campus. How lucky are these students to be so near a good restaurant where they can eat pad thai while discussing Organic Chemistry and Existentialism. Oh, the not so pleasant memories of taking tests! Their restaurant is across from beautiful Cunningham Park so I say they have the perfect spot. You’ll need to walk in the park afterward to help digest the delicious food that K’ind offers. Here I would start with Galanga Tom Kha soup and crab rangoon. For an entree, one of my favorites is the Pad Se-Ew which is sauteed flat rice noodle, egg, broccoli in black sweet soy sauce with duck as my choice of protein. The duck pineapple curry deserves to be under their specials for its tangy flavor and crispiness of the duck even when covered with the red curry sauce. For dessert, the coconut sticky rice with ice cream is a must! When in season, the mango sticky rice will have you drooling. This restaurant is roomy and has a minimalistic vibe indoors with sunny yellow cheerful outdoors. The staff are nice which is always appreciated. Bonus: They have a lunch special of salad, appetizer, and entree EVERYDAY from 12-4 and a super lunch special.
Sup Thai Kitchen
(Credit to Yelp for info, not sure what happened with restaurant’s website)
178-19 Union Turnpike Fresh Meadows, NY 11366
718-487-4449 or 4447
Sun – Thurs 11:30am – 9:00pm
Fri-Sat : 11:30am – 10:00pm
This restaurant has a nice black and white mural outside depicting images that’ll remind you of Thailand like tuk-tuks and a street vendor. Yes, definitely modern chic and instagrammable. During the summer, we dined al fresco surrounded by plants strategically placed making you feel like you are in Europe. The inside decor is quite nice in the same color scheme with exposed brick on an accent wall. They are unique in that they sell Thai snacks, sauces, even bowls, etc. Now on to the food! I would start with the vegan crispy taro with sweet chili sauce or handmade Thai crepe dumplings. They do have a lunch special as well. for the entree I’ve tried BBQ roasted pork w/ sesame gravy sauce (Kao moo dang), which consists of crispy pork belly, roasted pork, boiled egg, sweet pork sausage served with Thai seasoned gravy sauce. I know you’re seeing the pattern of what we like here. If your taste buds are feeling a bit more adventurous, I’d go with spicyyyy sriracha fried rice which has onions, scallions, tomatoes, Chinese broccoli, egg, Thai spicy sriracha sauce mixed with rice, and your choice of vegetable, tofu, chicken, beef, shrimp or mixed seafood. You will find something you like on their comprehensive menu.
Finish the meal off with taro sticky rice served with coconut iced cream, or another mango sticky rice dessert, and wash it down with lychee juice and you’ve got yourself a great meal at a fair price. And yes, the staff are friendly as well.
*Restaurants hours might change by seasons or per their discretion. Contact them first to double check. All 3 restaurants have 4 or more stars on Yelp. These are my favorite Thai restaurants in Queens. Have a sip of Coffee And Do try any of these places. Comment if you have been there. What was your favorite dish and dessert? Did you enjoy your dining experience?