Stumbled across this gem while at the hospital for special surgery. My little patient loves Thai food, and we had a significant gap in treatment times, so we ventured out for a lunch. Up Thai is a small restaurant with a cool vibe. We took advantage of the lunch special and had probably the best massaman curry ever! My daughter keeps begging to go back. If ever in the area, we surely would return!

With so many restaurants offering Thai cuisine, it's not easy to find the right one. Based on the recommendation of a local friend, had dinner at Up Thai and was very impressed with the quality. Will recommend to those looking for authentic Thai cuisine in NYC.

There was an hour line up on Saturday night, but we went to central park during the wait. The food itself was delicious had the pad Thai and panang curry, good servings. Ambience was great as well.

I had walked by many, many times without stopping by, mostly because it looks like just another UES hole in the wall Thai restaurant. So last night I decided it was time to finally give it a try, glad I did!

The place is actually big and very nicely decorated, the atmosphere is vibrant yet relaxing, making you feel as if you were in a country side stone house. You’ve got faux rustic brick walls, Persian lanterns, and plants hanging from the ceiling. Despite how that sounds, it actually manages to feel comfortable and borderline romantic (too bad it’s NYC and tables are way too close to each other almost rubbing elbows with your neighbors LOL!)

Our waitress was on top of things never letting us run out of water or (God forbid) drinks!! I usually ask myself every time when at a Thai restaurant “Would I eat anything other than pad thai here?” and after a quick glance on the menu the answer was ABSOLUTELY! And believe me I did =]

There’s a whole menu of dishes worth ordering, from curry puffs to crispy duck, and that’s what helps separate it from your typical hole in the wall Thai.

Appetizer -
Curry puffs
Minced chicken, potatoes, onion and curry powder, served with sweet cucumber relish.

Main -
Massaman curry (GF)
Potatoes, onion, avocado and peanuts, with coconut milk.

*From Chef’s signature menu* Up Thai fried rice claypot
Sea scallop, shrimp, chicken, Chinese sausage, onion, scallions and shiitake mushrooms.

Verdict: food and service are excellent! We ordered everything to share. Definitely a place I would recommend!

Excellent Thai food...you can taste Bangkok in every sauce. I had the branzino, big portion and enough for a lovely lunch the next day.