One of the best places for lunch. Soft shell crab mango salad - Absolutely loved this refreshing dish as a starter. It really kicks off your meal with great flavor and texture from the fried crab and it's balanced with the mango. Beef short rib Penang curry - the curry is spicy and the spices really kick. I love it. The beef could've been more tender as it was a little tough. Moo Dang - great variety of meats. A little on the saltier side but still delicious. read more

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Had a reservation here on a Friday night! It was so packed so reservations are a must here. Was a little disappointed to wait 10 min after our time but eventually we were seated. The ambience and bar area were beautiful. Patrons that were seated together from different parties had a clear glass panel between tables. Once we were seated, service was quick and great! Our drinks were amazing - highly recommend the one tough nut for a sweet, creamy cocktail with coconut and pandan flavors! the lychee tini was STRONG and great. I loved the soft shell crab and mango salad - even though it was an appetizer, it was enough for my entire meal with even some leftover (a very cost effective choice!). I loved the finely chopped mango and slightly spicy and sweet dressing. The crab was delicious! Crispy and fried perfectly and the shell was soft enough to eat! read more

Up Thai - Soft Shell Crab with Mango Salad - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

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This place has THE most bland/overcooked pad Thai I've ever had. I even tossed half of it- I never do that!!! Ugh. So disappointing.

Great spot for lunch! Their lunch special was really nice- I enjoyed my salad, crispy spring roll, and eggplant basil with shrimp combo. The secret garden tea was also excellent. The staff members were very nice and let us sit and enjoy our tea. read more

Food is good quantity is not what it used to be with prices being what they are. The food is good and flavorful.

Definitely would come here for the pad Thai. Unfortunately, the waiter forgot my order of mango sticky rice, but we ordered sufficiently enough for the table so it wasn't too bad that it didn't end up coming. The papaya salad and soup were average, and we've had better elsewhere. A cute place to go for pad Thai in the UES that won't break the bank. read more

This spot still stands as the best Thai restaurant in the UES in my books. Came back 5 years later and it's still just as good as I remembered. Maybe better than I remembered. This place is packed on a Thursday evening, so it seems like a reservation is necessary. But you know if it's busy, it's good. My friend and I shared the following: Hoi Jor ($14) - These are deep fried tofu skin stuffed with ground pork, shrimp, and crab meat. It comes with a plum sauce for dipping. These tastes great and make good appetizers. Thai Crepe Dumplings ($14) - If you ever had steamed rice noodle rolls (cheong fun), this is essentially what this is with minced chicken, peanuts, and sweet turnips with a sweet soy sauce served on the side. Just dump that soy sauce like you normal would on cheong fun and enjoy. Had to get the Up Thai Fried Rice Claypot ($22) and this tasted as good as I remembered. This claypot fried rice consists of scallop, shrimp, chicken, Chinese sausage, onion, scallions, and shiitake mushrooms. It's quite the mix of ingredients and tastes amazing. For sure a must order. To try something new, we also got the Nam Tok ($25) known as the Steak Salad. It's a grilled NY Strip Steak tossed in Thai style chili-lime roasted rice dressing. It is served with red onion, scallions, mint, basil, cilantro, radish, cucumber and warm coconut sticky rice. If you're trying to be healthy and enjoy a hearty steak, I guess this is the way to do it? read more

This is the BEST thai food I have EVER had! I ordered my favorites, which are favorites for a reason: the Pad Se-Ew and Thai Iced Tea. The Pad Se-Ew (with just veggies) had some of the most delicious noodles I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. The flavor was out of this world--not too strong or too weak. I'd give the chefs in the kitchen my firstborn child to be able to experience eating this noodle dish for the first time again. The Thai Iced Tea was also incredibly yummy; not overly sweet or milky. It came in a fun mason jar with a handle, which was a nice added touch. Service was friendly, quick and efficient; the interior has a cozy and warm ambience, partly thanks to the beautiful hanging lanterns. Although I found the lighting to be a bit harsh at times, I'm also weirdly picky about that sort of thing. A must try!!! read more

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I'm sure I'll be here again in the near future, but I'm so happy to live near a solid Thai food spot. I ordered the Up Thai Fried Rice Claypot and loved how much flavor was packed in this dish. I haven't had thai rice claypot before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I think it's a very well-rounded meal and wasn't too heavy. I even had leftovers to bring home with me! My friend got the drunken noodles, which tasted pretty standard. It's a little noisy so might not be the place if you're looking for something super intimate. Service was really efficient and the food came out relatively quickly. read more

Up Thai - Up Thai Fried Rice Claypot - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

Picked up take-out of Thai Green Curry with Beef and it was great. I was running a few minutes late to pick it up and it was still piping hot. They give a large portion. Definitely plan to go eat in person. read more

Everything here was fantastic! The drinks and food were delicious and our server was funny and helpful. The spring rolls were amazing. The inside of the restaurant is decorated so beautifully and the bar is stunning. can't wait to go back! read more

I've been here on a couple of different occasions and it's been spectacular every time. The drinks are amazing, the service is fast and helpful and there's truly something on the menu for everyone. read more

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First time here and easily impressed. The restaurant looks missable from the outside but it is so big and bright on the inside. My husband and I didn't have a reservation but were seated almost instantly after waiting in a small line. We ordered some appetizers to split. We got the corn soup with garlic bread which reminded me of a corn chowder but not super thick! It was very flavorful and the garlic bread was like garlic bread you would find at an Italian restaurant. The Up Spring Rolls were delicious very crunchy and the plum sauce really added a nice touch to the pork and shrimp inside. My husband got the Pad Se-Ew with Beef and that was amazing! The beef was cooked to perfection and the noodles had so much flavor from the sauce. I ordered the Crab Fried Rice, which was refreshing and the portion was huge. I had leftovers to bring back. The thai iced teas were sweet! I will definitely come back and try out more items from the menu! read more

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Food: 5/5 Super authentic thai food!! Soft shell crab was to die for I just wished there was more. If you like red curry you've got to try the short rib pedang curry- the perfect blend of spice and sweet and the meat falls off the bone FYI they are out of mango sticky rice for the season!!!! Ambience: 5/5 The ambience is well decorated and a good balance of busy without feeling overcrowded. Would recommend booking a reservation though because I overheard walk in wait times were 40min+ and that was on a weekday. read more

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Had a fantastic night out at Up Thai. Right around 7 they dim the lights and the rest of the restaurant really comes alive with all the greenery and lantern lights. It is a beautiful environment to be in. Creates a great atmosphere. That atmosphere definitely adds some charm to the food which was outstanding. The basil duck was perfectly cooked with just the right amount of spice. The pad Se-Ew was saucy but not overly so. The soft shell crab was great and the mango salad was a nice start to the meal. One minor point, I wish the music was a tiny bit lower. It was a bit hard to hear the person across from me. Still a great time with great food! read more

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The best drunken noodles i've ever had. Im going to dream about this meal until I go back. I got the Spicy Beef Kea Mao and some Up Spring Rolls. Both were delicious and the drunken noodles had the perfect amount of spice. Good portions too. Restaurant is clean and the service is quick and efficient. 10/10 read more

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This place was amazing! Food was 10/10. Definitely recommend getting a reservation because it was very crowded. Staff was so nice and accommodating, we got in 15 minutes before our reservation and our server gave us great recommendations. Ambiance was great the inside was so pretty 10/10 overall experience read more

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I came for lunch. Beautiful inside and gets busy very fast. I was really hoping to have pad Thai but found out they make it with fish and oyster sauce and cannot be made vegetarian. Bummer for us being vegetarian. All the curries can be made veg and the rice. So I tried the vegetarian pineapple fried rice. Do not order this! Extremely bland. There was zero flavor to this and just had a few pineapple pieces. Also, the tomatoes didn't taste right with the Thai dish. They were half red and green too. Your best bet is the Massaman curry made with tofu. This has flavor and the spice level is balanced with the rice it comes with. Inside is pretty, but vegetarian options may be limited for those with that diet. Plenty of seating for large groups. read more

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We wanted to go to a new Thai place in NYC and saw that Up Thai had a lot of reviews, so we decided to give it a try. We got the Massaman Curry, which was jam packed with tasty spices that I don't think my taste buds have ever tried before...simply amazing!! We also got the Up Thai Fried Rice Clay Pot, which was delicious with a soy-sauce type flavor. I've never tried anything like this before but it was so good. Portion sizes for both were pretty standard as well. Proudly have to say that this is the BEST Thai place in NYC. The service was great where they continuously filled up our waters and delivered our food pretty quickly. The environment was crowded because it was so popular. I have to say that I definitely recommend these two dishes to those who want to try something new :) Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 read more

Up Thai - Massaman Curry - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

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This was my first Thai meal in NYC. My friend treated me a birthday meal at Up Thai as it has good ratings on Yelp and Google Map. They offer lunch special including veggie soup/salad and an appetizer (spring roll/dumpling). Overall, it was delicious but nothing ground-breaking. Sadly I couldn't compare it with other Thai spots as I hvnt tried the others in town. ＊ Chicken Red Curry The triangle-shaped rice was so adorable.The veggies were flavorful after soaking up the curry broth. It was on a sweeter side so not as spicy as imagined. You could gorge your jasmine rice quickly with a scoop of curry. ＊ Shrimp Pad Thai I would recommend pairing your pad thai with tofu veggie or chicken, as the shrimps were a bit underwhelming. It didn't seem very fresh, and I was expecting sth like jumbo shrimps. The pad thai itself was good - chewy noodle tossed with sweet-and-tangy sauce - but not outstanding enough to justify a second visit. Worth Returning ? Maybe. It's good for a quick lunch. read more

Up Thai - Shrimp Pad Thai, Chicken Red Curry - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

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I ordered beef pad Thai delivery and there was a long black hair right on top when I opened the container. It was absolutely disgusting. I placed my order on DoorDash and the restaurant told me to go thru them with this issue and did absolutely nothing. read more

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Chicken satay, basil fried rice and green curry is my usual order. The ambiance is great. Good date night place or if you're going with friends. Enjoy! read more

First of all, the interior is beautiful. I went there with my boyfriend around 3 pm. We didn't have reservations but there were some tables for us. We had Pad Gra Pow with pork, Hoi Jor, Pad Thai with Chicken and Tom Yum soup. Hoi Jor was crispy on the outside and soft inside. It is a must-have. Pad Gra Pow smelt really good and tasted amazing. IMO pad Thai wasn't the best one but it was okay. It just needs some more flavor but otherwise, it's good. The soup was delicious as well. Definitely would come back! read more

Up Thai - Pad Krapraw (Basil) - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

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Incredible food and great ambience! The Thai tea lemonade is genuinely the best drink I've ever had and the waiters were friendly and fast. We got the fried rice clay pot with shrimp, scallops, chicken, sausage, and mushrooms and it was super flavorful and generous portions! (Enough for two!) We also tried the Kao Niew Phurk for dessert and it was very good as well! Would definitely recommend if you're in the area, it's a must try! We hope to come back sometime soon. read more

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The food is decent. But the lines are ridiculous. The place is tiny. It's very cramped and dark and it's just a pain when you just want Thai spur of the moment you really can't do it here. read more

My partner and I went to this restaurant for dinner today. The wait was less than 10 minutes, even without a reservation, but I think we just got lucky with the timing--there was a long line right after us. Unfortunately, they didn't have seating in the main restaurant, so they placed us in the next-door space, which seemed like a coffee shop that was closed after hours. I think it's connected to the restaurant, but the kitchen isn't, so anything we ordered had to come from the main restaurant. This meant the staff had to leave the restaurant, walk outside for a few feet, and then bring our food and drinks to us, which made the experience a bit unpleasant. That said, I ordered the Pad Thai, and it was absolutely amazing. I loved everything about the food--it was extremely delicious. I just wish we had been seated inside the restaurant instead of in the coffee shop. Overall, it was great food, but the seating arrangement could have been better. read more

Up Thai - Outside of the restaurant - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

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One of my favorite Thai places in the city! Reservations needed?: yes! And FYI they won't seat you until the entire party is there. This is place is busy! The food: amazing! Quantity and taste were spectacular . I got the pad see ew and it was delicious and great quantity. Drinks: my spicy margarita was the highlight of the drinks. My friends got the soju and they enjoyed theirs as well, but definitely want to get the spicy margarita next time. Ambiance: the ambiance makes this place! Trendy but not too noisy Vegetarian friendly? Yes! Lots of options. read more

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I have heard nothing but good things about this restaurant. The people who have been to Thailand, they say this is the closest restaurants to match the actual flavor from Thailand. I first heard of it last year when someone asked if I wanted to get it for lunch, but I didn't see the message until late so it was obviously too late. It was on my list of places to try but didn't get around to it until recently. A few people from work and I decided to finally try it before we went to trivia night. It was amazing. I tried to Kua Gai, which is broad noodles and I got the chicken one. It really was very, very good. I think everyone else got either Pad Thai or curry. But we were all impressed with the food. This is a popular place so make a reservation. There were 6 of us and we didn't make a reservation, luckily they were able to seat us. It was already really busy when we got there and the whole place just filled up super fast. It's not a large place either so make a rezzie! The ambiance is that of a busy place: noisy and loud and people coming in and out. But overall, definitely give this place at try if you haven't. read more

Up Thai - Kua Gai - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

Good food but sweaty spot Checked out this place on the recommendation of a friend. Made a reservation and was seated immediately. This placed is literally jam packed like a tetris game. It was a little too much for me as it was extremely loud and hot. We ordered our usual - pad thai and pad see ew. I decided to mix things up and ordered crispy duck with the see ew. It was tasty but nothing mind blowing, pretty much the typical Thai noodle fare. The duck was crispy but a little dry actually. We finished our meal quickly and left given the craziness of the atmosphere was getting to us. Overall, vanilla Thai fare but too crowded for my taste read more

Up Thai - Pad see ew w crispy duck - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

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Really good Thai food, flavors spot on. You have to remember to indicate your spice preference level , otherwise you're going to be unpleasantly surprised. I normally remember, except yesterday, and my food was super-spicy, I couldn't finish it- but that's on me. The flavors are really good, tastes authentic, and portions are decent. The food is fresh too. I love their lunch specials because you get an appetizer along with a soup/salad. If I'm in the area for Thai food, it's definitely one of my top choices. Dining in experience, they are very attentive. read more

Came here for lunch and was very impressed by the food and service. The restaurant has a very nice decor and ambiance. We were seated immediately and the food came out within 10 minutes of us ordering. Lunch specials range from $15-$25 and includes soup/salad, appetizer, and entree. I went with the pad see ew and it was delicious. Highly recommended if you're looking for good Thai food in the upper east side. read more

Up Thai - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

I found the seasoning a little too aggressive. Somewhat salty for my taste and rather overpriced. My tamarind duck fried and chewy not crispy as described. Overabundance of eggplant in the stewed sauce. read more

First time visiting Up Thai and was very impressed. The restaurant is very attractive; the food was yummy, as were the cocktails, and the service very good. I had the Nam Tok which was delicious, and my dinner companion had the Crispy Tamarind Duck which was to die for. We split a delicious order of Spring Rolls. The price was very reasonable. I will definitely be going back and have already recommended it to several friends. It's obviously very popular do make sure to make a reservation. read more

The ambiance is amazing and the food is pretty good. I'd highly recommend for anyone visiting the east side

I have to give it to NYC, for how old all the buildings are, they make an attempt to have ramps and access for wheelchairs. It may be a little steeper than some can do but we made it work. The food was wonderful and fast. The ambience was beautiful as you can see by some of the photos already posted. Service was very attentive and entry happens at table so our Thai tea arrived to table before our waitress even was done taking our order. Items were marked GF on the menu. read more

Up Thai - Interior of dining area. - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

When you walk in, your immediate reaction is how pretty the space is. The ambiance is amazing inside because of how well decorated it is! For a Friday night, it was very busy and we had to book a reservation ahead of time. As an appetizer, we tried the crispy spring rolls (3 for $9), which were delicious! They had lots of vegetarian filling including mushrooms, cabbage, glass noodles, etc. and paired well with the plum sauce. For a drink, I got a passion fruit mojito -- there wasn't that much of a passion fruit flavor, but it still tasted good. I got the Nam Tok ($22) as an entree, which included grilled sliced top sirloin with dressing over greens and sticky rice. The meat was a bit cold and on the tougher side, but it had a nice spicy flavor. I probably wouldn't get this again, but would come back to try some of the other entrees even if they are on the pricier side. read more

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Likes: spring rolls with crab, tofu with peanut sauce, noodles, the energy in the room, the service Good for a fun evening with friends read more

Service was great, the waitresses were extremely attentive and the place in general had a very welcoming atmosphere. The ambiance was cozy but classy, it felt intimate. The food was very good, I would say out of everything we got the pomelo salad was the best. The rice dishes were decent, would've liked more meat and veggies because I felt like I was just eating rice. Overall very pleasant experience. read more

Up Thai - Pomelo Salad With Grilled Shrimp, Kao Nar Gai, Kana Moo Krob - Thai Near Me - New York, New York

Not sure why this place has so many good reviews-- the interior is definitely pretty, but the food is anything but good Thai food. When we got there it was 3 pm on a weekday and it was packed! So naturally we assumed that meant the food must be legit, especially since it's on the UES. The food was rushed out and when it arrived, it was bland! Everything from the shrimp, rice, chicken satay-- it's so weird. The chef absolutely forgot to put salt in the food, and there's no salt on the table to add onto your food, but they're too busy to flag down to do anything about it anyway. If you don't know much about Thai food, give it a shot. It's got trendy vibes. If you're a foodie, this place isn't the place to go. It's definitely not worth the UES prices. read more

Up Thai is one of the best Thai restaurants on the upper east side. It can definitely be very crowded and chaotic inside, but the food is worth the chaos inside. The tables are pretty smooshed together, so it's very loud, but the staff is nice and the food comes out quickly. The Thai sausage fried rice here is very good. It is one of my favorite dishes to get and is very unique to this restaurant. Their pad Thai is also very good definitely one of the better ones I've had. I've had a lot of other dishes here too, and they're all very good. I really like the crêpe dumplings with peanut sauce. Those are also really unique! Overall, the food here is really good. Of course it tastes, good fresh, but due to the ambience if you live close by, I would recommend doing takeout. It is a lot more fun and lively than a typical takeout restaurant, but they do try to turn over the tables quickly. In terms of the price, it's pretty standard for Thai food in the city... Sadly, that means higher than we would want ha ha. read more