Almost a 4 for me, not quite a 5 yet. What we ordered: Crispy pork belly - Crispy on the outside, tender in the inside. Though at some point, I can't tell if I'm eating the fry batter or actual meat, so perhaps a meatier piece would satisfy me even more. Yet I have to say the sauce, smelling like some kind of aged fish sauce, is AMAZING, esp. with a kick of spice Rice rolls - This is not really a Thai dish, more like Vietnamese, but I was craving it and havent found it anywhere in the US. Quite okay for what you get, nothing special Tom zaab soup - Sour!! Huge bowl of soup w lots of shrimp, def worth the money. We went for moderate spicy and immediately regretted it. The restaurant was nice enough to remake aka pour more hot water into it to save our tongue. 5 stars for the service! I will definitely come back to try more dishes to give a more well-rounded review for sure! read more

This is a terrible restaurant i ever had, if they have a minus star I already press it. I always get the food from this restaurant almost every day when it's have a problem they treated us every suck.!! I don't recommend this restaurant and don't get the food from here anymore. Bye! Suck!! read more

This restaurant is mainly for Thai customers and foreigners who had been in Thailand and had Esan/Isan foods. The restaurant is very small, there are like 5 tables of 4. All the dishes are toward sweet side. I had to ask for more limes to add in my salads. The squid are just meh but all other dishes were pretty good. read more

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Hug Esan has an unique Northern thai taste that not the majority can enjoy, but I dearly enjoyed it because it does suit to my liking (sour and spicy). It is unlike other generic Thai restaurants like its neighbor (Ayada Thai and Spicy Shallot) because it does not even serve Pad Thai (so you know what I mean). We came here on a Wednesday night and I was delighted to see its Christmasy decoration along with some of its cultural pictures from homeland. The server was friendly and recommended some popular dishes to us. We ordered Larb Platter (fried tilapia with some salad and rice) $20, Grilled Squid $12, and Khao Piak Sen (pork rib and sausage soup noodle) $10. The Tilapia is a big portion and can definitely be shared, it is very deeply fried but flavor is definitely there. Eating it with the salad on the side complete each other. I was too hungry to take a picture of this. Grilled Squid is on generous portion and fresh with a side of my favorite chili sauce. Khao Piak Sen also has generous portion of pork ribs, sausage, and noodles. Next time, I would try their recommended papaya salad with shrimp. Overall 4/5 because of service, food quality, and environment! Recommend! read more

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Having never been to thailand, i cannot tell the authenticity of the food here, but the menu definitely is not the one from the regular thai restaurants in NYC. We ordered papaya salad, beef salad, pan fried fish, shrimp sashimi like dish (but with veggie and sauce to wrap and dip). If you are in the neighborhood and feeling adventurous, give this place a try and see if you like it! read more

One of the best meals I've had in a long time. Loved the Gai Yang, the crispy whole fish, the pork crepe, the crispy rice salad, the papaya salad, and the Esan sausage. The crispy rice salad may be the best single thing I've eaten in 2020. Only regret is not bringing a larger group so we could order more. It's BYO and there's a liquor / wine store basically next door. read more

Love this place! I am Laotian & our cuisine is pretty similar if not identical to Thai esan - northeastern Thailand. HeKK, our languages are nearly identical just different dialect. Enough of the culture review. We went in because we have had several friends also of Thai & Laotian heritage who dined here. They raved about the authenticity of the food & how much it reminds them of their mom's homecooking! It's a tiny restaurant literally 2 doors down from another amazing Thai place in Elmhurst (Ayada). A very small place but speaks volume! Our server spoke a combo of Thai & English to us! The servers are very sweet & attentive. Always checking up on you & refilling ur water without asking. We ordered a the special combo for 2! It came with a choice of baked chicken or fish with a small basket of sticky rice & papaya salad in any style : regular Thai , Laotian, & a third one I forgot. Also included is a choice of either a Larb dish, soup, or appetizer. All this for $20! What a steal & if u choose the fish it's only $30. Good deal for an easy authentic dinner. My only gripe is I wish we would've got more sticky rice but it's okay. The Laotian style papaya salad was flavorful, delicious, & had the right amount of heat( we ordered medium spicy). The Pork Larb was also great - reminded me of eating one of my aunt's meals. The chicken was good as well. Can't really go wrong w/ chicken. I enjoyed how crispy the skin was & also love how they added fried shallots on top. We also had the "kow peak sen" which is basically a Thai/Lao version of Udon noodle soup. It is made with pork, chicken,& pork blood - it was really good. I do however would rather have it either pork or chicken - not combined. I do rejoice in Finally having a place in NYC that offers Kow Peak!!! The sauce that accompanied the chicken it was also sweet, sour, & spicy . The 3 S's we all want from Thai food! We will return to try more items off the menu for sure! read more

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I come here all the time with my friend. The staffs are nice and so is the food. Above all the dishes are cheaper compare to the restaurants around it. Good food. Good staff. And affordable. read more

The woodside/Jackson Heights Thai food adventure continues. This might be my overall favorite of all the places I've tried. The papaya salads with plara are the best I've had in New York. The pad kra pow, fried spring rolls and bbq pork are all perfection. But my favorite might have been the whole fried fish. Be sure to get both dipping sauces and a side of vermicelli noodles. The food is rill rill good. The service is friendly and nonchalant. The atmosphere is cozy and very creatively decorated. And the locals come here. There's nothing not to love. Do yourself a favor and run up here for dinner, overeat, bring some home, and feel glad that you didn't just do the cattle call at Sri (now that it's in Williamsburg, I just can't) This place is a real deal. Cash only. read more

I took my family from Thailand to had Thai food. My mom loves this place. The food is so good. Authentic Thai food in NYC that I will recommendation. Fish is so fresh. Papaya salad is testy. Coconut ice cream after meal is the best. read more

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One star gives to food only, which its taste can be found in other Thai restaurant in Queens. It's NOT worth to try comparing with the bad manner of the waitresses. After we checked, we went to have dessert in another cafe shop nearby. After 30 min we stayed in the cafe, the waitress saw us and she came to complain us as we paid the low tip for them!! The funny thing was she remembered exact subtotal amount of food price we had and showed us calculation that we paid lower than 15% tip. (She calculated from grand total, not food price before tax, from which we normally calculated the tip.) She felt so upset and complained us in the cafe for almost 5 min. This manner totally ruined every normal to good thing about this restaurant. I believe that tip is a gratitude. It's NOT a requirement by law or necessary to pay if you don't appreciate. This waitress just provide lower to normal standard of service, e.g., not smile, monotone when she talked to customers, not ask us anything after all food is served. Nothing is impressive on their service. How could she expect us to give her 18% tip? This restaurant received cash only. No credit card fee the restaurant must subsidize. Due to this bad manner, we ensure that we will NOT come back this restaurant again. Additionally, I will NOT recommend this restaurant to my friends or others. read more

The chicken was delish and the papaya salad pretty delish also. Quick delivery and I'll definitely order again!!

i was a bit reluctant about this place when I heard the name. But I must admit the food was on par and well worth the long train ride out of the city. The service was excellent. Very authentic tom yum with lots of lemongrass and galangal. The winner of all the dishes we ordered was the fried tilapia, which was crispy on the outside, with moist, tender meat. read more

Hug Esan - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

There are a ton of Thai restaurants in that area. I tried many of them and decided to give this hole in the wall place a try. It was more than I expected! I have my 1 year old baby with me and the staff there were very friendly and helpful to our family. The food was really authentic (Northeastern Thai) and the price was reasonable. I highly highly recommend everyone to come check out this place and decide for yourselves. read more

Hug Esan - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

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Hit or miss. Sometimes the flavors are on point. Sometimes they're not. But this is the best Esan food around here. A lot better then Zaab Zaab. And the prices as well. The problem is this place is small. You can probably seat 15 people max in the restaurant read more

I had Hug Esan bookmarked before covid and never had the chance to visit. I rediscovered this spot a few weeks back and and finally ordered delivery. I ordered the Grilled Chicken, Papaya Salad, and Mushroom Soup, which were all so so flavorful. The sticky rice with the chicken and dipping sauce was addicting. Add some papaya salad to the bite and it made it that much better. The mushroom soup had an assortment of mushrooms and they did NOT skimp. I decided to order out a second and it was just as I remembered it. read more

Great cozy spot with authentic Thai comfort food :) hidden gem with lots of interesting dishes

This in the cut restaurant is filled with crazy flavor and very kind/attentive staff. The food is delicious and the portions are perfect . There is a lot of variety on their menu . Dining in at this restaurant put my stomach in a great mood and I left with a smile because of how awesome our server was . Prices are freaking great! Please go try the curry noodles :). read more

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Disgusting.. I love their fried fish but this time I found a piece of iron scrubber in the fish, will not be ordering again! read more

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Awesome food. We got the crispy pork belly, fried tilapia and a Papaya salad and it was perfect for lunch.

This is my first time ordering take out from this place. I was craving for authentic Thai food and decided to give this place a try. I ordered fried fish salad, papaya salad and bamboo shoot sticky rice. All the food are very savory and goes well with rice and noodles. I would come back to do a sit in in the future. read more

I cannot believe I have not been to Hug Esan until now! Everything we ordered was fantastic and complemented each other well. I would recommend coming with a couple of friends and sharing everything. We ordered five dishes to share among the four of us. I really enjoyed the grilled whole tilapia and the fried pork belly. Our waitress was so nice and attentive. She gave us a lot of recommendations and showed us how to eat the fish. She even offered to provide us more vegetables and sauces to accompany the fish if we needed. Also, be sure to take advantage of the check in offer. They gave us each a free homemade ice cream! It was the perfect way to end the meal. Overall, we had a delicious, fresh, and affordable meal at Hug Esan! read more

The food here is authentic Thai and delicious. Don't come with preconceived ideas of the American Thai food. This place reminds me of actually being in Thailand. read more

Hug Esan - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

My Thai wife said this place has food like real Thai food from back home. I like it as well but it's esan food which is not a favorite of mine. But lots of items to pick from . Always have some good stuff to order like Mee Kati. Small place so expect to wait if it's a busy time . read more

Hug Esan - Eating here for authentic Thai - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

Khao Piek Sen is my favorite dish. It is like the Vietnamese Bún bò Huế. I always get this when it for lunch time. The broth is so flavorful. If you are in Elmhurst definitely try this place. It os bery different from other thai places around the neighborhood. read more

good food, service was quick, atmosphere was very nice and lively. it is a very small place tho and if you're not used to authentic spice it might not be the place for u. but there was a lot of flavor in everything, it was amazing. read more

This soup was so flavorful, noodle were soft, pork was so tender. It's call Khao Piak Sen. I ordered for delivery they're pay attention with the package, that was so nice for small thing. They were separate noodle in a box and soup in bag protect for soup spill out served with spicy oil, vinegar and crispy onion in small cup; you can mix well in soup for more testy. I love it so much and price was very affordable. Recommend it!Khao Piak Sen read more

Hug Esan - Khao Piak Sen - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

This spot serves some of the authentic Northern thai dishes that you wouldn't usually find in some regular thai spots. Their pork soup noodle (Khao Piak Sen) is second to none . Definitely a must-try ! read more

This place is great for authentic Esan Thai food. I was in Thailand a few months back and eating at this restaurants transports me back. The grilled whole fish combination, which comes with a papaya salad, and an appetizer is great to share with one or two other people. It includes sticky rice, herbs, and lettuce to make wraps out of. It's also BYOB and there is a wine shop next door, which makes this restaurant a great deal as well. read more

Note: CASH ONLY restaurant Came here on a Friday evening with friends and I thought the food was amazing. Was here for the first time so I didn't know what to order, our friend who has been here before ordered for our table. We got the crispy pork, papaya salad (Thai spicy level), chicken, whole fish, sticky rice and another dish that I think was some meat salad option... either way the food was amazing! We were sweating our arses off from the spices but everything was flavorful and delicious. The dishes came with ample mint leaves, lettuce and cabbage to go with the meal. I don't live relatively near Woodside, but I cannot wait to return to this hidden gem! read more

Hug Esan - Papaya salad (Thai spicy with 12 chili's), Whole Fish, chicken, fried pork, sticky rice.. yummy goodness!! - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

We all came with friends for dinner and the food was amazing. Cute little authentic Thai spot in queens. We had the spicy soup and the garlic sauce with rice. The for gai yang was cooked perfectly, crispy outside and soft inside. The food transported us to northern Thailand. The staff was very accommodating for my vegetarian friend as well and super sweet. read more

I like the food here the pork belly is very good I recommend the Thai ice tes as well Reminds me of my home read more

This tiny regional Thai cuisine gem just pop up on Thai community about last week. After a meal at the Hug Esan, I have mixed feeling about the place. First, the meal here is quite authentic compare to the NYC standard. I liked that the taste took me back to Thailand. You can take a bite here, close your eyes and imagine you are sitting in a street restaurant in Khon Kaen. However, don't let the price tag on the menu fool you. The food might look cheap (price range $5-10) but the portion is clearly a lot less than I expected. Maybe it is a tapas style restaurant. The $7 papaya salad might sound great but the portion is really frugal, a little bigger than side salad that you got from regular lunch special meal. Will I be back there? Probably yes cause the food taste great. And the service is great. But watch what you order. read more

The best,must tryLarb pla/spicy. Crispy and yummy. Never disappointed with this. They hv lunch menu also. All is good to try and their crispy pork belly also the best read more

Hug Esan - The bestmust try - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

The food is very authentic and staffs are very friendly. Papaya salad is amazing. Love it!

Delicious Thai food from this cozy restaurant. It's pretty small and has about 18 seats or so. We started off with spring rolls and it was crispy. A bit more fried that we'd like but it was great esp. with the sweet chili sauce. Try their Thai style Pork crepe with ground pork, scallions, pork sausage & Fried shallots! It was different and we liked it. We also ordered the Fried Whole Tilapia - it was huge and tasted good. We ordered sticky rice to go with it but think we'll pass on that next time. It was just plain sticky rice and we thought that it would be more flavorful. read more

Can't say I'm not disappointed. Food is kind of greasy and overcooked. The papaya salad was good though.

I've been here couples times. Always good, I recommend grill fish with Thai herbs, pork salad also grill chicken. Taste is authentic Thai. Never dissapoint. :) read more

Hug Esan - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

If you're in Queens and looking for a good Thai food. I highly recommended this place. The food is really good and excellent service. read more

Hug Esan - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

Awesome food! Never had noodles this tasty as their khao piak sen! And their spring rolls are amazingly crispy delicious! Not the usual sweet and sour dip! Love it. Will definitely be back here.... to claim my free coconut ice cream!!! Crew are nice too! read more

Hug Esan - Thai Near Me - Elmhurst, New York

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