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    Lil Chef Mama

    4.5 (212 reviews)
    ModerateThai
    Open 11:30 am - 3:30 pm, 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM

    Order Lil Chef Mama Takeout or Delivery

    Lil Chef Mama Photos

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    LIL CHEF MAMA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Lil Chef Mama

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    Josephine L.

    Caught up with a friend here for brunch. Weekend midday options are pretty lacking in FiDi, so I was hoping Lil Chef Mama, with its interesting Thai-American fusion brunch offerings, would be a hidden gem. It was....more like a hidden pebble. Not bad, but not exceptional either. My Thai Basil Burger had some interesting herbal/sugary elements to the meat, but the patty more or less fell apart as soon as I picked up the sandwich, making it very difficult to eat. The burger was also quite greasy, which is never pleasant. The spiced fries were crispy and tasty, though I think they could've used even more seasoning. The Thai Omlette was like any other meat and veggie-filled omelette--to my disappointment, there was nothing noticeably Thai (or even Asian) about it. My friend's Honey Pork Fried Rice was decent, with lots of pork slices, but it lacked the flavor bomb characteristic of other traditional Thai fried rices. At least our Thai Iced Teas were creamy and satisfying. Service was friendly, no issues there. The restaurant has a cute plant nursery-esque decor in its entryway that sadly does not continue through the rest of the restaurant. But it's still a nice sit-down spot with warm wood tones.

    honey moo slider
    Peggy X.

    A very cute Thai restaurant in the Wall Street area with great service and reliably good food! My mom always stays in the area when she visits New York, so this is our go-to when she's in town. The restaurant is pretty big, with a generous amount of seating, and I loved the floral decorations. During my most recent visit, I ordered the Honey Moo slider and a set meal, which I think is a dine-in only special. The slider was so, so good: tender and juicy, with just the right amount of sweetness. Note that it comes with just one slider, so may be difficult to share. The set meal was also beautifully presented: I chose the ginger fish for my entree and mango sticky rice for my dessert. It can feel a bit steep, at ~$40, but everything was fresh and delicious, and I loved the variety. Along with your entree and dessert, you get a bowl of edamame, a small salad, a scallion pancake, soup, and rice. The mango sticky rice came with a generous amount of mango! I also had enough food left over for lunch the next day. Can't wait to be back!

    Honey pork Thai Fried Rice (L)
    Sonali P.

    lil chef mama is a slightly hidden Thai food gem in Financial District / Seaport area. The ambiance is great for any occasion - dates, dinner with friends, dinner with parents. I recently went in the afternoon and had brunch there. You are able to order from the regular dinner menu during brunch hours. We walked in and were seated right away. Ordered the honey pork friend rice, tom yum soup, house salad, and a red curry. This was a lot of food for 2 people, we had lots of leftovers. The honey pork fried rice is really good, it reminded me of bulgogi. Overall, a solid spot that you can walk into

    Christopher Y.

    One of the nicest decorated Thai spots I've been to in nyc. Very chill and casual ambiance. Came on a weekday night and was seated right away (we just missed their happy hour lol) but they had a nice traditional Thai menu with a variety of interesting cocktails. We got the pad thai, fried calamari & glass noodles with chili. We're big fans of Thai food as we have it quite often & this spot didn't disappoint. Everything was delicious and on point. Servers were attentive and friendly. Prices were fair and comparable to any other Thai spot in the city. I love how they have this location nearby my place because I'll definitely be coming back.

    Pad Kee Mao with mock duck
    Sheena P.

    Love having this Thai spot in FiDi! Have dined in and grabbed take out from Lil Chef Mama and it's always delicious with reliable service. The space is large with an open kitchen and lots of seating. They've got great decor as well. Drunken Noodles with Mock Duck: 4.5/5: Love the mock duck, noodles are fresh and flavorful. Could use some extra spice Basil Fried Rice with Tofu: 4/5: Not bad, could also use some extra spice, so I usually ask for the chili garlic on the side. Thai Iced Tea: 4.5/5: Sweet and creamy, the perfect complement to the meal. Overall, quick and reliable. Will be back!

    Ad T.

    Side street in Sea Port Area - a sandwich sign caught eyes - over we went half block.. large space, dim-lit, lotsa cute lights.. chefs wafting steam cooking aggressively.. ordered pad thai with chicken and friend got mango with sticky rice (dessert).. thai iced teas were on-pont - and got a my thai cocktail - sweety and smooth $71 was steep bill but the fresh quality yum pad thai had TLC present

    Nina C.

    Yum! This place was delicious I can't wait to come back!! The roti w curry was really small but yummy. Pannang duck curry was solid. The noodle was really good and so was the fish. The flavor was perfect, just the right blend.

    Mango sticky rice
    Mark T.

    Lil Chef Mama catered a climbing event I went to in Gowanus and the food was so tasty that I had to try it again. I went with 3 of my friends. We ordered: Pad Thai (Recommend) Pork Sliders (Recommend) Pineapple Fried Rice with Shrimp Beef Red Curry (Recommend) Chicken Wings Beef Dumplings Yuzu Soda Orange juice Butterfly Pea Lemonade (Recommend) The atmosphere is beautiful, they made such creative and effective use of the space. The entrance is great for photos and you won't feel crowded in this space. Vegan options were clearly labeled. Travis and Joe were great and attentive servers, and not overbearing. I saw Lil Chef Mama on my way to the restroom and I had to say hi and she was kind enough to offer us complimentary mango sticky rice because she remembered me from the climbing event. She is an absolute sweetheart and please let her know how much you enjoyed the food when you visit. We will certainly be back for the chefs specials, and some other items we had our eyes on. Definitely a place worth trying. I am confident this place deserves its praise. And if you do happen to order the chefs specials, call to order in advance as they take ~30min to prepare

    Chicken was good
    Wendy B.

    Mediocre overall if they didn't try to upsell the larb that wasn't even on the menu. Pad Thai was fine - missing tamarind, peanut sauce driven. Chicken was good. Roti was fluffy and expected. Pork Larb was so bad - the dish we wanted (sausage) was not available and we asked if they had larb. They said yes and delivered the larb obviously trying to create on the spot. Chopped flavorless pork. Would appreciate more if they told us they dont do it and not qualify to serve it. It was dry, flavorless, textureless , ruined the whole meal. Service was slow. We expressed the larb was bad and heard nothing back. Would not come back.

    Danielle D.

    What a cute hidden treasure in FiDi! walking in, i was impressed by the ambiance & the kind employees. I got the Khao Soi (named differently on the menu) & the flavor was so good, I just wish they put more sauce. My friends enjoyed their pad seew & pad thai. The Thai Iced tea was pretty good too & not too sweet! Pricing is reasonable, would definitely come back!

    Menu - front
    Olivia P.

    The staff here is SO friendly. They were so kind and courteous the whole time. The inside of the restaurant is also beautiful. It feels like a garden. I took my food to go, and was pretty satisfied with the taste. I got Pad Thai and it was good. I would come here again and try other dishes. They have a wide variety of meats for the fried rice, which I haven't seen before. I do think the price is comparable to other places but the portion was a bit small. I've gotten Thai takeout before and this container was legitimately smaller than others I've had. OverLl if you're in Fidi I would definitely do a sit down dinner here and enjoy the good food, nice staff, and pretty ambiance for the price.

    Scott S.

    I came here with a friend, it was a cute restaurant. The restaurant was pretty slow that night but the service was good and food came out timely . Prices are great for the area. A nice touch was the glass of wine for only $10. The dish I ordered was a take on khao soy. The flavors were all good. I would've preferred the traditional khao soy but the dish was still comforting and familiar.

    Katey G.

    Just being honest - I've eaten here 3 times in the past two weeks. The first time I went was for dine in, and I was actually kind of impressed with the interior. It's a big space and a little funky. Definitely an easy place to go with a group of people. All the food we tried was good, but what keeps me coming back.... The Tom Kha soup. It's DELICIOUS. The best I ever had. I get it with chicken and a side of rice. It's perfectly balanced, creamy but not too rich, and just perfect. When I'm not eating it, I'm dreaming about it. Come for the Thai food, but you better not leave without trying the Tom kha soup if you like coconut!

    Dumplings shrimp

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    4 days ago

    Delicious! Always a great experience with Lil Chef Mama, food is fresh and great for takeout!

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    4 days ago

    The food was great, the service was great, the ambiance was excellent, and the prices were reasonable.

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    6 months ago

    We tried the lunch special where you get to try 3 different Thai dishes with rice. They were really good & quick.

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    SaiTong Thai - Green Curry with tofu

    SaiTong Thai

    4.5(434 reviews)
    3.7 miTheater District, Midtown West

    Came here for dinner. The restaurant was crowded on a weeknight but we were seated right away. The…read moredecor is chic and the service is excellent. Shoutout to our awesome server Ploy who took good pics of the group! I started with a thai mango surprise to drink, then got the massaman curry and drunken noodle for mains. Thai Mango Surprise- This has a vodka base. You get mango puree, sticky rice syrup, coconut milk and coconut cream. It's like a drink version of the dessert, very tasty! Massaman Curry- We got this with beef which was cooked perfectly tender. The sauce is sweet with a hint of spice and made creamy with coconut milk. Potatoes and peanuts add bulk to the dish. Drunken Noodle- We got this with chicken and they gave us a generous amount of it. The sauce is savory and spicy, packed with flavor. The noodles are soft and chewy. Great experience overall!

    Walked in on a Wednesday night after watching a Broadway show in the area and was seated right…read moreaway. Not all midtown restaurants stay open past 10, and I was relieved to find their kitchen going strong at that hour, as well as their dining space, which was full. Turned out it was for good reason because their food was delicious. My friend and I were hoping to eat at a restaurant nearby specializing in crab, but they closed much earlier. Fortunately for us, SaiTong's menu had plenty of crab on it, and we decided to double up and make each of our entree's a crab one. The black spaghetti crab curry and crab curry noodles advertised themselves as being very different dishes in both presentation and ingredients but ended up tasting kind of similar. One was topped with deep fried crab and used a different type of noodle than the other, but the sauces were so similar. This is not to say that they didn't taste good, but I would've preferred more variance. I'm glad we got an order of papaya salad to cut the richness of the other dishes, and I also appreciated it had a nice level of heat in it. Our servers were really friendly without being overbearing, and let us linger for a bit even after we paid the bill, as it was their last seating for the evening. There are so many excellent Thai restaurants in the city and I'd put SaiTong firmly in the category of perfectly solid spots to get your Thai fix, with some special dishes on the chef's menu worth checking out.

    Photos
    SaiTong Thai - Bar area

    Bar area

    SaiTong Thai - Chicken Satay

    Chicken Satay

    SaiTong Thai - Green Curry with tofu

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    Green Curry with tofu

    Thai Villa

    Thai Villa

    4.4(5.3k reviews)
    2.2 miFlatiron
    $$

    Loved this place!! Tried the fried tofu appetizer and it wasn't too spicy and very crispy. I also…read moregot the tofu eggplant, and it was very flavorful, and not too sweet. The massaman curry was also flavorful, but a little too sweet for our liking (tasted more like yellow curry, and less of the peanut taste we are used to) Nevertheless, I really liked their GIANT trifold menu and we will definitely be back to try the rest. Amazing ambiance inside (I ADORED the gold hanging decor on the ceiling) Bathrooms were very clean and staff was so efficient and friendly. They refilled water all the time and brought out food very quickly. We were celebrating a birthday but there was nothing brought out, so I don't think they have that kind of service here. It didn't feel super super upscale but also not just your average Thai restaurant. It was very crowded, but we felt like we had adequate space to move around and enjoy our meal.

    This is my favorite Thai restaurant in the city! It's always busy so it's best to book a…read morereservation or hope and pray there are bar seatings, which is first come first serve. I ordered the calamari and pad Thai. The calamari was amazing. It was light and fresh. Be specific when ordering pad Thai, one has all the cuteness which is the Royals Pad Thai. The presentation is everything! If you change it and add chicken to it, they bring it out like a regular dish so only order with shrimp, if you like seafood! The ambience is very welcoming and trendy with a whole vibe.

    Photos
    Thai Villa - Long table

    Long table

    Thai Villa - Scallop Skewers (~$16)

    Scallop Skewers (~$16)

    Thai Villa - Dragon tattoo

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    Dragon tattoo

    Sabai Thai - Massaman Curry

    Sabai Thai

    4.3(623 reviews)
    2.7 miFlatiron, Midtown East
    $$$

    It was very easy to make a reservation. The ambiance and decor were so romantic and cozy. We…read morestarted off with the drinks. I ordered a delicious lychee Martini. For appetizers, we ordered the Sate, curry puff, chicken dumpling and shrimps. Everything was on point. The main course was the shrimp dish, chicken and tofu panang was our favorite. The fried rice and pad tai were just about okay. We ended the night with free celebration dessert my loved ones birthday celebration

    My friend and I made reservations at 6:30pm on a Friday. We had intended to go for restaurant week,…read moreand the website said that Sabai was participating. However, when I got to the restaurant, I was told that they were not participating. When I brought this up to the staff, they did comment that several people made the same mistake earlier in the week. If that was the case, then why not correct the restaurant week website, or make it very obvious on your website that you aren't participating? Both of us were starving, and I had put in a birthday request at the restaurant, so we decided to stay. The ambiance is classy, and this would be a great spot for a business dinner or date night. I ordered a massaman curry with roti and chicken ($29), and my friend ordered the chuchi shrimp ($30) and curry puff ($16). Prices are a bit above average for the portion size, but justified by the area. We both enjoyed our dishes; the flavors were on point! Then, for my friend's birthday, they gave us mochi ice cream and a card signed by the staff! That was a nice touch that overrode the restaurant week debacle. Service was fantastic. There were multiple check backs and water refills. I would recommend Sabai Thai for a fancy night out, and I would return to try other dishes.

    Photos
    Sabai Thai
    Sabai Thai - $16: curry puff

    $16: curry puff

    Sabai Thai - Butterfly Pea Lemonade

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    Butterfly Pea Lemonade

    KRAAM Thai - Spicy Crispy Rice & Pork Sausage Salad

    KRAAM Thai

    4.5(107 reviews)
    2.7 miFlatiron
    $$$

    Overall rating: 4.7…read more Stumbled on this place which was absolutely gorgeous. Went with a group of 5 and they were able to split the check which we really liked. I had the Soft Shell Curry which was delicious. Definitely get with white rice. I wanted to take some of it to go, but it was soo good I ate it all! The spot looks great solo, on a date or with friends. I loved it. When I came it was slow. But towards the end, it was so crowded and had like 3 birthdays. Highly recommend!

    Kraam Thai on Fifth is a lovely respite from the transactional busyness of NYC. From the moment we…read morewalked in, we knew it was something special. The attention to detail -- fresh flowers, a discreet cultural altar, tamarind candy, navy cocktail napkins, gold silverware, and delicate plating -- was an absolute delight. We settled at the bar watching Kevin craft the most beautiful cocktails while sipping a few of our own -- pleased with every drop. The spicy crispy chicken rolls were chef's kiss. The ribeye garlic fried rice was bold, deeply savory & dangerously good. The chicken pad Thai struck a delicate balance between tangy and bright & perfectly restrained. If you find yourself north of Flatiron, and aren't feeling Korean - this little Thai gem shouldn't be missed; stop in on Mondays & Tuesdays

    Photos
    KRAAM Thai - Entryway

    Entryway

    KRAAM Thai - Prawn satay - grilled marinated prawns with sweet and spicy peanut and mung bean sauce , serve with rice vermicelli, shallot, veggie relish

    Prawn satay - grilled marinated prawns with sweet and spicy peanut and mung bean sauce , serve with rice vermicelli, shallot, veggie relish

    KRAAM Thai - Roasted Chilean Seabass with ginger sauce

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    Roasted Chilean Seabass with ginger sauce

    Obao

    Obao

    4.0(4.5k reviews)
    3.7 miMidtown West, Hell's Kitchen, Theater District
    $$$

    Obao has delicious food. If you're in Hells Kitchen and happen to stumble by Obao, it is worth…read morecoming in. Obao is has both Thai and Viet food. It does well with doing the whole "fusion" schtick without losing the essence and flavor of the dishes. Pad Krapoa Moo Krob, the meat on the pork belly was so juicy - the pork skin was crunchy and chewy at the same time, flavors of Thai spice, basil, and bell peppers harmoniously working together to bring a balanced meal. The shrimp basil fried rice was delicious, a great alternative if you're not feeling the crab fried rice. The service at Obao is always prompt and helpful, whether it's questions about the menu or recommendations, anyone is willing to help. Inside Oboa is dimly lit, a moody vibe that is fun and invites playful conversations.

    While walking down the street in Hell's Kitchen, Obao caught my family's and my eyes. We looked at…read morethe menu and noticed that there were many gluten-free options, so we decided to try them out. The hostess stated how she had a long reservation list, but was able to get us right in! Once we sat down, our server, Spaghetti, came over to us. He was extremely friendly and took our drink orders right away. I ordered an Espresso Martini, and it was delicious. My father ordered a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which was extremely tasty. For our entrees, my mother ordered the Pad Thai, and my father and I ordered the Pho Bó. My mom absolutely loved the Pad Thai! The Pho Bó was incredible. The broth was so delectable, and it was honestly the best broth that I have ever had. The portions were also incredible, especially for the price and being in the city! Once we received the check, we noticed that next to the Pho Bó, it stated that it is Michelin Recommended, and we completely understand why! We are looking forward to going back!

    Photos
    Obao
    Obao
    Obao

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    Lil Chef Mama - thai - Updated June 2026

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